Had the Springboks given up at the first sign of struggle, we wouldn’t be celebrating the Rugby World Cup victory right now.

Nothing about the Springboks’ title defence was easy; from the draw, which was called the pool of death, to the opposition’s fans in the quarterfinal and the semi-finals; they were facing an upward battle that could not be won without a fight.

Springboks’ Captain Siya Kolisi has been very vocal about the motivation behind their fighting spirit; they were playing for us as a country, and they were our hope in green and gold personified.

I heard Kolisi’s impassioned declarations after 2019; I was motivated, proud, and inspired but somehow, I didn’t feel the impact of the win as deeply as I have felt it this year.

This rugby World Cup victory means so much more this year, I heard him.

The reason why I heard Siya this time around is because the suffering in our country and the world seemed more magnified; I have been angry, hurt, and dejected for some time now. And in the midst of that, there comes a group of champions from different parts of this beautiful country of ours, influencing hope, and unity, displaying grit and fight, passion, and love.

The truths of what the Springboks used to be and are today, once a small group’s symbol of pride now a symbol of hard-fought inclusivity also hit me hard.

They weren’t always what they were; many battles were fought to get them to be the team they are today.

The thing we need to learn in our country is that we must fight more battles to get to the place we need to be as a nation.

The hard-fought part of the story is important to note and accept; what we hope for as a country needs to be fought for.

The struggle is an ongoing battle and the obstacles ever changing – there is no destination, no promised land outside of what we are willing to work hard and fight for.

The most important thing to carry as we face our challenges and reach for our dreams is that we cannot achieve the dream alone; we need each other because it is when we stand together, in our diversity that we can achieve amazing things.