‘WHAT STOPS US DOING THIS IN OTHER SPHERES?'

The Rugby World Cup win created a sense of unity in an ailing Rainbow Nation. The team’s lead protagonists hope this is the start of bigger things for South Africa’s economy too.

- Nick Said

THE SPRINGBOKS’ thrilling triumph at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan has the ability to stimulate the country’s economy and enhance its reputation among potential investors, according to South African Rugby President Mark Alexander.

The Boks, led by their first black captain in the inspirational Siya Kolisi, defeated England 32-12 in Yokohama to win a third World Cup crown for South Africa after previous successes in 1995 and 2007.

Much has been made of the victory providing a sense of national unity for an ailing Rainbow Nation, but Alexander believes it can go well beyond that in putting South Africa on the front pages of newspapers around the world and reminding investors of the rich potential in a resourceful nation that has beat the odds before.

The power of rugby, Alexander tells FORBES AFRICA in an exclusive interview, can be perfectly illustrated in the patterns on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, where trading levels fell to half of their normal level when the team played Japan in their quarterfinal on a Friday in October.

“I know that when we played Japan, there was a dry period in trading on the stock exchange. That is the kind of impact that rugby, and sport, can have in a country. Let’s try and build from this success,” Alexander says.

“I certainly hope this will encourage investment to stimulate our economy. But if we don’t do it together, it can’t happen. We always say ‘the government must do this and that’, but every single member of our country has to try and do something different.

“If there is a child who can’t go to school and you have extra cash, help them. Small things like that which can ultimately help stimulate the economy. Pay your taxes, be a good corporate citizen.