Vodacom Bulls loose forward Nizaam Carr hailed the efforts of Rassie Erasmus and Cheslin Kolbe in helping the Springboks become a ‘force to be reckoned with’ again. DYLAN JACK reports.

The Springboks, under the guidance of Erasmus – now SA Rugby’s full-time director of rugby – and his coaching staff as well as the leadership of captain Siya Kolisi, turned themselves around to win the World Cup in 2019.

It was a massive achievement considering that the team was largely considered a spent force after Allister Coetzee’s reign as Springbok coach between 2016 and February 2018.

Speaking to SA Rugby magazine in a wide-ranging interview, Carr – who hopes to prove himself worthy of a Springbok place after returning to South Africa from England – credited the Springboks for inspiring a nation through their World Cup win.

Carr says Bok wing Kolbe was particularly inspirational after being written off as being too small for Test rugby and joining French club Toulon to prove himself.

‘We have to give a lot of credit to Rassie and Jacques Nienaber,’ Carr told SA Rugby magazine. ‘They didn’t have a lot of time to work around what had happened in the past. We are now a force to be reckoned with.

‘Also inspiring was Cheslin Kolbe. He had been written off, going overseas to look for another opportunity. He proved that your weight and size don’t matter. Your heart is what is most important. If you have that, you cannot keep a good person down.

‘A lot of credit to Rassie and his staff for pulling the team together. Now we have the Webb Ellis with us, which is the best prize any player can ask for. So, it is definitely inspiring and any player wants to be a part of that success.’

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