As we come to the end of day eight of lockdown in South Africa, editor CRAIG LEWIS picks five top pieces of content from the week that was.
1 Big Joe: Like you’ve never seen him before
In one of the more fascinating interviews you are likely to find, former Springbok Joe van Niekerk opened up on his remarkable journey from rugby player to community leader of a healing sanctuary in Costa Rica.
The full interview with Van Niekerk is available in our April issue of SA Rugby magazine, and this weekend we’ll also be bringing you another snippet from this Q&A, which is not to be missed.
2 Rugby pro opens up on mental health stigmas
It’s not often you get professional rugby players openly discussing depression and mental health, but it’s undoubtedly an important subject that should not be brushed under the carpet.
In an exclusive interview we ran this week, former Cheetahs and Kings player Vince Jobo encouraged rugby’s community to speak about their mental vulnerabilities as he revealed his own battle against depression.
3 Must watch: How Rassie’s Boks achieved the impossible
In these times of lockdown, I’m sure most rugby fans have watched a re-run of the 2019 World Cup final more than once.
This feel-good factor won’t fade away any time soon, and this week we brought you a video that powerfully captured the Boks’ incredible journey from the depths of world rugby to lifting the Webb Ellis trophy for a third time.
4 Fatialofa: From agony to walking again
In these uncertain times, we all need a pick-me-up now and then, and the courageous story of former Hurricanes lock Michael Fatialofa is as inspiring as it gets.
Once fearing that he would be confined to a wheelchair after suffering a serious spinal injury, he has since described his journey from his body ‘shutting down’, and terrors in the ICU, to being able to walk again.
Finally, all week we’ve been bringing you our selection of an all-time Springbok dream team. It’s certainly generated plenty of debate and divided opinions as we’ve looked to make some impossible choices between world-class players.
On Friday, we completed our starting lineups with the tight-five selections, and next week we’ll be presenting what each writer’s Perfect 23 looks like at the end of it all.
Have a great weekend and stay safe.
– Craig Lewis
