World Cup winner on what made Boks champions and what rivals can do about it
England-bound Felix Jones signed off as a double world champion by offering a glimpse to South Africa’s rivals of what is required to dethrone them.
Jones, the unsung coaching hero behind the Springboks’ World Cup title defence, is joining Steve Borthwick’s backroom team, with Kevin Sinfield expected to depart.
He goes with the nation he inspired thanking him for his “unbelievable” work - and he and the Springboks even more grateful for what the country did for them.
“With South Africa, it’s not just the title,” said Jones, a former Ireland international. “It’s bigger than that. There’s something bigger they’re playing for that I can't articulate.
“Every team has a soul or a DNA, a style or a way of playing. Every nation and every country has something. The goal is finding out how to make that more tangible. The best teams tap into that.”
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This South Africa team, led by the incomparable Siya Kolisi, draws its strength from the people back home in a way that appears unique to them.
Kolisi lifts Webb Ellis Cup - just as he did in 2019 (World Rugby via Getty Images)“There is not a lot of things going right in our country,” said the impoverished boy from the township who grew up to lead his nation to back-to-back triumphs.
“Where I come from I couldn’t dream I could be here today. You need to come and see South Africa to understand. I had my own goals and ambitions. To look after my family, to give back to my community.
“We come from different walks of life but we don’t have to look far for our motivation. What brings us together is our country. When we come together nothing can stop us, not just in sport but also in life.”
Kolisi: "We come from different walks of life but we don’t have to look far for our motivation" (Gallo Images)Back home they set up public viewing areas in disadvantaged communities, erected big screens in free-to-enter shopping malls. A sport once the preserve of white South Africa, embracing the Rainbow Nation.
“We have 62 million people united,” head coach Jacques Nienaber said. “Opening up communities to allow people to watch, an entrance fee of whatever they wanted to donate.
“People have bought green T-shirts for everyone. We felt every single bit of energy they gave us and in the last three games, all one-point victories, that drove us.”
"With South Africa, it’s not just the title. It’s bigger than that. There’s something bigger they’re playing for that I can't articulate" (AFP via Getty Images)Drawing on that power, the Boks found a way to cope with the early injury loss of their one specialist hooker, Bongi Mbonambi, and two later yellow cards.
New Zealand, despite losing Sam Cane to the first ever Final dismissal, missed two kicks to win but a Boks side so nearly eliminated by England deserved the prize.
“It’s probably a reflection of life in South Africa,” Jones said. “You can’t dwell on negatives there. You have to make a plan and find a way. It is that simple.”
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Kolisi celebrates at final whistle (Getty Images)What England have, says Ben Youngs, is “a bit of bloody-mindedness” which shows itself when the chips are down.
It got them so far. Now they must dig deeper.
NZ - Try: B Barrett. Pens: Mo’unga 2.
SA - Pens: Pollard 4.
ALEX SPINK TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
15 Thomas Ramos (Fra); 14 Damian Penaud (Fra), 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (Fij), 12 Jordie Barrett (NZ), 11 Will Jordan (NZ); 10 Mathieu Jalibert (Fra), 9 Aaron Smith (NZ); 1 Ox Nche (SA), 2 Peato Mauvaka (Fra), 3 Ben Tameifuna (Ton), 4 Eben Etzebeth (SA), 5 Brodie Retallick (NZ), 6 Courtney Lawes (Eng), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), 8 Ardie Savea (NZ).
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