Yes to England victory, and to NZ team spirit

Indispensable. . . the All Blacks engaging in their best war tool - team talk.

I  never toasted England’s victory in anything like I did on Saturday when the Roses defeated the All Blacks in a high voltage encounter that had Twickenham screaming from all sorts of emotions until the final whistle. I am happy for England because New Zealand’s unbeaten run was fast becoming a tag of invincibility, something the sport of rugby does not need for itself.

Apart from ending NZ’s unbeaten run that had gone through 20 matches undisturbed, England were huge on the night, awesome. I don’t know what they had for their pre-match meal but I never saw the England rugby team stand so tall, and yet so vigorous in its movements, whether in attack or defence.

I don’t wish to name anybody in their squad because it was a thorough team work they dished out on Saturday. So pumped up were England that they looked like they could win another match soon after the final whistle had gone at Twickenham.

Bravo England, bravo.

While I celebrate their fall, I was touched by the All Blacks for their team talk after shaking hands with their opponents following the final whistle. The New Zealand players had a quick onfield post-match talk, obviously to discuss where it went wrong for them in London. The players were so absorbed in the talk one had some understanding why the All Blacks are such fine sportsmen. They concluded their discussion by consoling those teammates who were still emotionally down from the loss, and then walked off the Twickenham pitch looking like the champions that they really are.

I wish South African sports teams, especially Bafana Bafana and the soccer teams in the local league, could emulate the example of the All Blacks. The football teams in SA are battling for positive resuIts internationally, and lack of maturity. Who would forget the dance of shame Bafana players performed in Mbombela Stadium in late 2011, thinking their lousy goalless draw with Sierra Leone was enough to qualify for 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Even if they had indeed qualified, it would have been a mature thing to have had a moment of reflection before they even thought of dancing. In fact, the second best thing after a quick post-match talk is to thank the fans for their support.

In victory or defeat, post-match team talk is crucial not only to bind the team together, but to highlight what went right or wrong so that a clear path is carved for battles lying ahead. Local soccer legend and former Bafana coach, Screamer Tshabalala, is on record saying the downfall of SA football, from club level to national teams, is lack of team talk in all areas of importance.

“In my playing days we talked after the coach was done with his training session; we talked the game in the bus heading to the match, and we talked about the game after the final whistle,” Tshabalala once said.