How South Africa transformed Twickenham to make more Springboks history

The aromas hit you virtually from stepping out of the station and on to the Whitton Road that runs down from Twickenham town centre towards the amphitheatre now known as Allianz Stadium. Up the nostrils the scent of braais, biltong and boerewors swirled from the stands along the street side, the many South African shop-keeps in this pleasant patch of suburban London glad to have compatriots for company on the day the Springboks took over Twickenham.

It really is quite a sight, a great migration to rival any of those across the Highveld plains. Out of every corner of the southwest of the city the South Africans emerge, the train down from Waterloo busier and busier still as it progresses through Wandsworth and Clapham Junction. They come early, too, all backing the Bokkewith shirts of deep green. Nominally an Argentina home fixture, this was as partisan a South African crowd as you could find; Springbok visits to this particular parish may be becoming more and more regular but enthusiasm for Siya Kolisi’s double world champions has not yet dimmed.

“You can definitely feel them, especially when things don’t go your way,” two-try scrum half Cobus Reinach hailed of the support after South Africa prevailed 29-27 to retain their Rugby Championship crown. “There were a c***-load of them out there, and we play the game for them and our country back home.”

There were 70,360 in all, parts of the top tier empty but the grand old ground not far from full. All but a small scattering of Argentina fans – clad largely, seemingly, in Lionel Messi shirts to perhaps show where their true loyalties lie – seemed South Africa-drawn, standing proud to belt out the anthem in five languages.

By the end of 80 brutal minutes, they had something new to celebrate. There is not much that South Africa had not achieved since Kolisi and head coach Rassie Erasmus came together, from two World Cup wins to a British and Irish Lions series success and a record thrashing of New Zealand, but the Springboks had never before gone back-to-back as champions of the southern hemisphere. This Rugby Championship had been, for so long, an All Blacks dominated domain; before last year, a South African success in an abridged version in 2019 had been the sole interruption of New Zealand’s stronghold over the last seven editions.

It looked, though, for a long while at Twickenham like the All Blacks might be placed back on their perch by an inspired Argentina. In the first 40 minutes, the Pumas were outstanding, marrying fearsome physicality around the fringes with real cutting-edge ball in hand. With their big five beasts – Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Guido Petti – going blow-for-blow with their vaunted South African counterparts, Felipe Contepomi’s side were repeatedly able to arrest any Springbok momentum. Even Eben Etzebeth was toppled in a double-tackle, collapsed like the Colossus of Rhodes.

But South Africa found a way, as they always do with silverware on the line. Rugby’s mentality monsters won their three knockout games at the last World Cup by a combined three points; they were someway below their best here, and still came through. Knowing that a win of any kind would be enough to retain their title due to their vastly superior points difference over New Zealand, who had beaten Australia with a bonus point earlier, they successful emerged from a proper scrap.

The flow and fluency shown since the arrival of attack coach Tony Brown was not discovered in windy and wild condition, but South Africa had their set-piece strength on which they could fall back. Argentina’s scrum was, in turn, munched, mangled and marmalised as Ox Nche, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thomas du Toit and Wilco Louw showcased why they remain the bedrock of the side’s success. When replacement Argentine loosehead Boris Wenger squeezed a penalty out of Wilco Louw with three minutes to go, even he seemed faintly surprised.

“We always knew Argentina had massive fight in them,” head coach Erasmus said. “They take it to the gutters and we had to swim in the gutters with them. It’s much nicer to learn while you are winning than when you are losing. We’ll take it.”

This title was certainly hard-earned. A 22-0 lead was squandered in the tournament opener against Australia while tough questions were asked after defeat in the first of two Tests in New Zealand before the Springboks came good. In the process, they have again continued their rotation policy, using not far from 50 players across the campaign and utilising three starting fly halves – if Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu did not light up the stage as he did in Durban, the 23-year-old still showed a few of the flashier touches and steely edge he will need to make that No 10 shirt his own.

More widely, though, it is remarkable the connection that they have forged with their fanbase. It is not yet a decade since this side sank to a new low with an historic loss to Italy in Florence, with even their more ardent supporters questioning their direction. Now, the Springboks have the significant clout to reshape the calendar in partnership with New Zealand next year in order to hold a money-spinning series against the All Blacks on South African soil, which is expected to be fully unveiled in the coming weeks to replace the 2026 Rugby Championship.

“I've worn this jersey when nobody wanted to watch us play and when it was hard to get a win,” Kolisi reflected having captained the side to more success. “And now, at this moment, no matter how tough it is in the game, we know how to win, we know how to fight, we know how to dig deep.

“This team has done a lot for the country. It's been used in so many ways and Rassie got us to understand that we are just vehicles and this team will always be there. It's all about what we're going to do when we're wearing the jersey. I'm so grateful for the people of South Africa, the way they support us. No matter where we play in the world, it's really been amazing.

“I know the feeling that it gives people, that South Africa is going to walk tall. This win is not just for us, but the people of South Africa.”