Springboks poised to rewrite history

The Springboks begin the defence of their World Cup title on Sunday when they tackle Scotland in Marseilles in the south of France, and rugby fever is gripping South Africa in anticipation.

Siya Kolisi’s team are attempting to go where no Springbok team has gone before by winning back-to-back World Cups, and excited South Africans are loving the fact that their team are tipped for the top – most sports betting bookies have the Boks as favourites.

Better news still for Bok fans is all South Africans have an opportunity to watch the boys in green and gold, after broadcasters SABC and SuperSport on Thursday reached a last-minute compromise on the television coverage of the tournament.

Earlier this week, it had been reported the SABC would not be broadcasting the World Cup, after SuperSport announced a failure to reach an agreement with the national broadcaster for the sub-licensing of broadcast rights to the tournament, which gets under way tonight when hosts France play New Zealand in Paris.

But according to a statement released by MultiChoice on Thursday, the SABC will now broadcast 16 matches in total.

This includes the opening ceremony and opening match, as well as all four Springbok group matches – plus two quarter-finals, one semi-final, the bronze-medal play-off, the final and the closing ceremony.

There is also good news for fans who want to venture outside of their living rooms to embrace the World Cup gees –eight of the biggest shopping malls in South Africa will be decked out in green and gold in the next couple of months, as fans will be given the opportunity to share in the excitement at the MTN Springbok Fan Malls in Gauteng, KZN, the Free State and the Western Cape.

The Fan Malls will be set up in conjunction with SA Rugby at Menlyn Park (Pretoria), Mall of Africa, Nelson Mandela Square, Eastgate (Johannesburg), Gateway (Durban), Mimosa Mall (Bloem), as well as Canal Walk and Tyger Valley Shopping Centre (Cape Town).

The reassuring news is these malls are fitted with generators and therefore not impacted by load shedding, which means Bok fans can enjoy the Tests without interruption.

The Boks, meanwhile, are doing their best to keep their feet on the ground.

Coach Jacques Nienaber said from the team base in Toulon: “Since we got to France a week ago, we have felt the excitement.

“The French people are embracing the tournament, and the World Cup is everywhere you look.

“For us, the waiting is over.

“We have worked towards this for four years. It’s World Cup mode now.”

For the first time, the Boks have continuity in coaching staff and captaincy from one World Cup to another – Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019 and Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus were the coaching duo, as is the case once more.

"It’s such a privilege,” Nienaber said.

“I would have been happy to just be part of one World Cup, so to be part of another is beyond my wildest dreams.

“I’m not a very emotional person, but it’s special.”