“This year’s Rugby World Cup Final will take place on Saturday between the rampant All Blacks and their traditional rivals, the Springboks.

The All Blacks stormed into yet another final with a try-fest as their star winger, and tournament-leading try scorer, ran in a hat trick of tries against their hapless opposition.

The Springboks, however, narrowly scraped through their rain-drenched semi-final, with a lone try ultimately deciding the result. Unconvincing at times throughout the tournament, the Springboks face a mighty challenge in trying to stop their much-favoured opponents this weekend …”

This was a report about the 1995 Rugby World Cup

I remember that final as an almost 15 year old girl. We had been through a year of turmoil as the first democratic elections had taken place a year earlier. But in that moment the country was unified as one in support of our national team in their first World Cup Tournament and as the hosts too.

Back then the crowd in the stadium was predominantly white as rugby had always been seen as “the white man’s sport”. And of course there was only one player of colour in the late great Chester Williams. Those of you have watched the film Invictus will know the background to South Africa hosting and some of the political implications as the incoming majority wanted to do away with the Springbok emblem but how one man, Nelson Mandela, saw the power of that emblem and of a sport to bring us together.

And when the Springboks won with that epic drop kick by Joel Stransky and Francois Pienaar, the captain at the time, said in his post match interview: “We didn’t have 60,000 South Africans, we had 43 million South Africans,” and in that moment united a nation.

The recent Springbok squads under the leadership of Siya Kolisi have been an inspiration to South Africans the world over but most especially in South Africa. Together with his wife Rachel Kolisi they run the Kolisi Foundation to support the underprivileged in South Africa.

As I watched the Rugby World Cup final this past weekend I was struck by the diversity of the South African fans in the stands and of course on the field. The players were all united as a team and it was never about any one individual but for the team when it came to selections and they all had each others backs. It really is testament to how a sports team can be an inspiration to all, on and off the rugby field.

The legacy of Springbok players is also evident here Joost van der Westhuizen and Schalk Burger met Faf de Klerk and Siya Kolisi. And the legacy will continue to future generations too.

With all that is going on in the world today I think it is important now more than ever to look for what we have in common and brings us together, and show love and respect for our fellow human beings. Love truly can conquer all if we let it.