Unsurprisingly, 1995 was when it all started for me. I remember coming home from school one Friday, and there was a buzz of excitement around the house. My parents had invited some friends over, and snacks had been prepared. We gathered around the TV and watched the Springboks defeat the Wallabies in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup. I was hooked!

My memory is a bit fuzzy here, but I went to two pool games. I believe they were either Samoa or Tonga matches. Regardless, that was my first time at Ellis Park.

The day of the final was unforgettable. The Boks had battled their way through and were facing the mighty All Blacks and a rampaging Jonah Lomu. I don’t think we were given much of a chance. Despite all odds, we won! The Boks scrambled an impressive defense, and there were some huge tackles on Lomu, with Joost van der Westhuizen putting his body on the line.

Joel Stransky secured the victory with a sublime drop goal. Nelson Mandela presented the trophy to François Pienaar wearing a Springboks jersey with the number 6 on the back. And who can forget the final words from Pienaar himself: “We didn’t have 60,000 South Africans; we had 43 million South Africans supporting us.” Everyone jumped in their cars, driving around the neighborhoods, waving flags, cheering, and blasting their horns. The day the rainbow nation was truly born!

In the years between 1997 and 1998, there was the 17-match unbeaten run under Nick Mallett, which saw us clinch the Rugby Championship (the Tri-Nations back then) for the first time. It was a good time to be a Bok supporter. The late 90s to 2000s was the golden era of Super Rugby, dominated largely by the Crusaders, Blues, and Brumbies. The Larkham and Gregan era at the Brumbies was particularly classy. Even as a South African, I could respect their game.

We have had some dark times under the helms of Harry Viljoen and Rudolf Straeuli. Fortunately, Jake White pulled us out of the doldrums and back to the top of the game. The performances under subsequent eras have been mixed (prior to the arrival of a certain Rassie Erasmus), but we have never had a repeat of Kamp Staaldraad.

The Springboks transcend all boundaries in South Africa. It doesn’t matter what color you are, what language you speak, which religion you ascribe to, or who you choose to love—the Springboks represent all South Africans, whether you still live in the country or not. There is nothing, NOTHING, that makes you feel truly more South African than when the Bokke take the field!