Triumph with a symbolic effect: Siya Kolisi fought her way up from a poor background to become world champion captain of the “Springboks”. Image: Imago
In a thrilling final, South Africa’s rugby players secured their fourth World Cup title against New Zealand. The captain of the “Springboks” sets an example far away from the field in the record victory.
Two men watched the final minutes like defendants, alone in the midst of 80,000. Only one could expect an acquittal. Sam Cane, deathly pale in his black jersey, watched the trial with a blank stare, which was nothing more than a tough struggle between 28 men. Cheslin Kolbe couldn’t even look anymore on his sinner’s bench. He hid under his sweaty green and gold shirt.
Only when the group behind him screamed in triumph after eighty minutes did he carefully poke his head out of his jersey and then jumped up, freed – not guilty, South Africa were world champions. Kolbe’s faux pas, which led to a ten-minute time penalty in the dramatic final phase for irregularly preventing a counterattack and resulted in the “Springboks” losing their long majority, had no consequences.
