The South African cricket team is "massively" inspired by Springboks' record fourth Rugby World Cup title and that could be just the inspiration it needs to win a maiden global title for a country where "a lot is going wrong". (Preview | Key Battles | Full Coverage)
The rugby triumph and the words of captain Siya Kolisi post the final against New Zealand on Sunday have fired up the Proteas who are among the form teams in the ODI World Cup.
South Africa continues to grapple with social segregation and economic disparity on racial grounds and that has also fuelled unemployment, crime, and corruption.
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Also See: South Africa Win Rugby World Cup 2023 - In Pics
Speaking ahead of their game against New Zealand, South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen spoke about what the rugby success meant for him and his team.
"Massively (inspired). We were all watching it at 2.30 in the morning. The final, actually the previous three games, we were all there in the team room watching.
"We take massive inspiration from them, massive learnings, and lessons from them as a team, how they go about what they do, what they stand for, the purpose they play for.
"And I think Siya mentioned it in a press conference that if you're not from South Africa, you don't really understand what it means or what sporting achievements mean for the people at home and for us. So, we definitely take massive inspiration from that," said van der Dussen on Tuesday.
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Since their return to international cricket following the end of apartheid era, South Africa are yet to land a major trophy despite being close on multiple occasions, handing them the dubious chokers' tag
"A lot of the guys in the team knows - has friends that plays in that team and to see what they're able to achieve is just really inspirational. And I think the real realization for us is that we’re no different.
"Yes, we haven't won World Cups, but if we do manage to get there at some time, at some stage, it will be really an honour for us to be mentioned in the same sentence of those guys," said the top-order batter.
Van der Dussen feel sport has the power to unite and the rugby squad epitomises that.
"For me, obviously coming from a very divided background in the last 70 to 100 years, those sort of mindsets are still quite entrenched in a lot of communities and a lot of older generations.
"What the Springboks and what sport shows us is that as a country, as South Africa, when you do get things right and you do things the right way and what you can achieve, end of the day good things happen to good people.
"And that Springbok team, that's what they are. They're all hardworking, good South Africans with a real humility about them, a real hunger for success. And for me, it just certainly shows that when you're willing to put differences aside, what's possible for a country like ours."
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The team has lived with chokers' tag for decades and it was reminded of that following the shock loss to Netherlands in Dharamsala, its only defeat in the competition thus far.
Van der Dussen said it is best to accept mistakes and move forward. "It's about just acknowledging and accepting it. After that Dutch game, we took a lot of flak from back home and certainly in the media as well. There's no use in delving too much into it. You've just got to accept it and move on.
"From our side, you realise that there's people at home and fans that's been really scarred by previous performances of South Africa and World Cups. And you can't really criticise them for feeling that way, for criticism to come from, I suppose, a place of hurt where they've seen that movie before.
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"But personally, it goes for about probably most of the people in our squad and management team, that we haven't lived that. So, it's not really applicable to us."
Van der Dussen added the current side is certainly different from the 2019 World Cup squad, because of the adversities it has faced in the last four years.
"...There's definitely something different. The situations we faced in the past four years, whether it be COVID, whether it be Black Lives Matter, SJN (Cricket South Africa's Social Justice and Nation Building), various political stories that we've had back home and had to manage as a team has really forced us to pull together as a team.
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"And really, I suppose, the effect of us being really tight off the field as well, really knowing each other intimately. And the other fact is, as a group, we've been actually playing together a very long time.
"If you look at this - almost between any two members of the squad, there's a real connection. We've had to deal with quite a lot of controversy over the last three years. So that's really put us in good stead."
