Joost Says SA Needs Boost

The weight of the whole nation rests on 22 men who will wear the green and gold of the Springboks when they take on the British and  Irish Lions next month in a three-test series.

So says Joost van der Westhuizen, the former South African rugby superstar, and he’s not just talking about sport, either.

Van der Westhuizen was part of the South African World Cup-winning team in 1995, beating New Zealand in a final at the then Ellis Park in Johannesburg watched in front of a united nation led by the newly-elected President, Nelson Mandela, who wore the number six jersey of the Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar.

They were heady times for the Rainbow Nation, united after years of white-led oppression against the black and coloured population, and the sight of the once white-dominated Springboks becoming world champions drew the diverse nation together in unforgettable scenes of unity.

Now the national rugby team must do the same in similar circumstances, argues Van der Westhuizen, and he is banking on sport to succeed where others walk of life continue to fail.

“It’s a very similar situation to 1995 in that we’ve just had an election and my beautiful country stands on a precipice,” the former scrum half explains. “Back in 1995 they were remarkable days, but we’ve forgotten our legacy and it’s up to sport, once again, to change my country’s fortunes.

“People who leave South Africa these days don’t tend to return, and it’s difficult to keep united a country with eleven different cultures. But one sure way of doing this is success on the sporting field, and even though we have the football World Cup next year, South Africans are not big on supporting losers, so the onus is on the Springboks to win and make the whole country smile again.”

So, no pressure there, then? “Oh there’s big pressure for every reason,” the 38-year-old who won 89 caps and holds the national record of 38 test tries, concedes. “But that goes with the territory of being a Springbok. We’ve waited 12 long years to avenge our defeat to the Lions back in 1997. I’m not sure the South African public want to wait another 12 years for victory over the Lions.”

Van der Westhuizen was part of that South African team who lost the first two tests against the Lions, before salvaging nothing more than pride in winning the third, dead rubber. For a born winner, who played in three World Cups, won a World Cup and a Currie Cup, and was regarded as the best number nine in the world, he is surprisingly relaxed about being on the losing side.

“I would have preferred to have won, but I still feel hugely honoured to have faced the Lions in a test series. Many great southern hemisphere players miss out on the twelve-year cycle. I have Matt Dawson’s jersey which, even though his outrageous dummy was bought by half the Springboks, I look on with pride because the Lions are part of South African rugby history.”

He offers no excuses, either, for the shock defeat. “We lost fair and square. The bottom line is that the Lions were better prepared than us. We had a new coach, and some new players, but what we didn’t have was a top-class international kicker at the time. The Lions had Neil Jenkins, and he kicked everything. They had some special players, like Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, too, and they had a very special coach.”

This brings us on to the 2009 version of the Lions who have that same special coach in Ian McGeechan. Van der Westhuizen is a huge fan. “He got it absolutely spot on back in 1997 in gelling a group of players who had never played together, but had fought each other as opponents, into a single, unified team, and I’m sure he’ll do exactly the same again this time.

“I am not necessarily scared of the Lions players, but I am of their coach. McGeechan will get it right, and he’s already started with his selection. He knows he needs a physical side to match the Boks up front, but also to slow the game down. South Africa likes a quick game with mobile forwards, especially having just emerged from the Super 14. It would be in the Lions’ interests to slow the tempo right down.

“Meanwhile the Springboks have a few injury problems, notably in their playmaker department where Butch James, Conrad Jantjses and Francois Steyn are all out, and they’ll know that while the Lions will be looking to slow it all up, they also have the likes of Brian O’Driscoll to pounce if given half a chance. There is absolutely no danger of complacency from South Africa, especially after last time in 1997.”

So how does Van der Westhuizen see it going? “My heart says a 3-0 whitewash to South Africa, but my heads tells me something different,” he admits. “I believe the series will be decided on discipline, and it’s here that South Africa need to learn their lesson fast. In the Super 14 this season something like 90% of the red and yellow cards dished out were to the South African teams. If the Springboks repeat this, especially in the breakdown area, against the Lions they’ll lose. The better-disciplined side will win.”

When pushed Van der Westhuizen plumps for a South Africa win. But only just. “It would not surprise me in the slightest if we needed the third test to decide the outcome,” he adds. “If that’s the case the third test will be played at Ellis (now Coca-Cola) Park, and that’s always been a good place for us. We won the World Cup there, we even beat the ’97 Lions there, and the Springboks will come through in Johannesburg to win the series 2-1.”

He laughs. “At least I think so. If not I’ll be 50 when the Lions come back to South Africa, and I won’t be happy if I have to wait that long to see the Springboks beat them.”

Sky Sports will show every match from the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa exclusively live and in HD, starting on Saturday, May 30^th.