As South Africans celebrate Heritage Month , its become evident that sport is a crucial and key component of the countrys heritage. Sporting codes such as rugby and sporting heroes occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens.
South Africas sporting success in world rugby, in particular, has in many ways united a divided nation, based on their shared experiences, since the Springboks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time in 1995.
Nelson Mandela himself features in one of the most iconic images of post-Apartheid South Africa when he embraced former Springbok captain Francios Pienaar after the Boks won the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 1995.
Since then support for South Africas national rugby team and the interest in rugby has increased exponentially.
Doctor Buntu Siwisa, who has recently published a few books dealing with the history and politics of rugby, says that the sport has deep roots in African society.
