10 years since 2007 RWC victory
South Africa lifted the William Webb Ellis Cup for the second time exactly 10-years-ago today.
John Smit received the trophy after the Springboks beat England 15-6 in the final in Paris.
It feels like yesterday that we celebrated the victory.
South Africa became only the second country to win the Rugby World Cup twice, with world champion status achieved in 1995 and 2007. The first country to do so was Australia in 1991 and again in 1999.
The event has since been dominated by New Zealand, with the All Blacks boasting victory in the inaugural tournament in 1987, followed up by back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2015.
South Africa's 1995 and 2007 campaigns conjure up very different memories, for me anyway.
In 1995 South Africa conquered the world.
NOW READ: 2023 Rugby World Cup: SA could receive billions
The image of Francois Pienaar and former President Nelson Mandela will be included in any collection of iconic sporting photographs.
The Springboks, and South Africa as a nation, burst back onto the international scene following apartheid.
We told the world we are here, and we're just as good as you.
The impact of the 1995 Rugby World Cup on nation-building in South Africa has been written about and researched extensively. Our victory in 1995 was a happy one.
The players who took to the field became overnight heroes. Spectators brandished the new South African flag, chanted Nelson Mandela's name as he walked on to the field before the final and gave hope to the ideals of the Rainbow Nation.
The 1995 Boks produced a stellar performance to beat New Zealand. Surely a team that had only just returned to international rugby after sporting isolation would not be able defeat the mighty All Blacks? And adding to New Zealand's strength was rugby's first superstar, Jonah Lomu.
The class of 2007 was a little different.
The team was one that was prepared with Paris in sight. Coach Jake White assembled a team in the years preceding France 2007 that he thought would do the job.
For me, the 2007 Rugby World Cup showed the professional nature of the sport in full swing.
ALSO READ: INFOGRAPHIC: SA's 2023 RUGBY World Cup bid
Some of the best players in their positions and combinations equalled by none emerged ahead of the tournament, with the team gaining superstar status.
Even though the team travelled to France with a squad and strategy that ticked all the right boxes, the victory for me was one of relief.
So much had been said in the years before France. The phrase, "judge me on the world cup" springs to mind.
If the Boks did not win, the years between the 2003 and 2007 World Cups would have been for nothing. We waited to see if the coaching staff and management team could deliver on their promise.
We held our breath.
No matter where they finished in France, not winning would have been failure.
Failing to win in 2007 would have made us 'chokers'.
Both the 1995 and 2007 Springboks are legends, as our future world champions will be, no doubt.
But what does it take to dominate world rugby, beat the All Blacks and lift the Rugby World Cup?
Answer that, put it into action and you're on track to becoming a world-class coach.
However, the 1995 and 2007 campaigns give us some of the necessary insight.
South Africa needs to play with the excitement, passion and courage of the 1995 Springboks, while combining those traits with the preparation, self-belief, skill and intensity of the 2007 squad.
It sounds easy, but that's why I'm not a coach.
If all else fails, pick Os du Randt at loosehead prop and select a Maritzburg College flyhalf.
World Cup won!
It feels like yesterday that we celebrated the victory.
South Africa became only the second country to win the Rugby World Cup twice, with world champion status achieved in 1995 and 2007. The first country to do so was Australia in 1991 and again in 1999.
The event has since been dominated by New Zealand, with the All Blacks boasting victory in the inaugural tournament in 1987, followed up by back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2015.
South Africa's 1995 and 2007 campaigns conjure up very different memories, for me anyway.
In 1995 South Africa conquered the world.
NOW READ: 2023 Rugby World Cup: SA could receive billions
The image of Francois Pienaar and former President Nelson Mandela will be included in any collection of iconic sporting photographs.
The Springboks, and South Africa as a nation, burst back onto the international scene following apartheid.
We told the world we are here, and we're just as good as you.
The impact of the 1995 Rugby World Cup on nation-building in South Africa has been written about and researched extensively. Our victory in 1995 was a happy one.
The players who took to the field became overnight heroes. Spectators brandished the new South African flag, chanted Nelson Mandela's name as he walked on to the field before the final and gave hope to the ideals of the Rainbow Nation.
The 1995 Boks produced a stellar performance to beat New Zealand. Surely a team that had only just returned to international rugby after sporting isolation would not be able defeat the mighty All Blacks? And adding to New Zealand's strength was rugby's first superstar, Jonah Lomu.
The class of 2007 was a little different.
The team was one that was prepared with Paris in sight. Coach Jake White assembled a team in the years preceding France 2007 that he thought would do the job.
For me, the 2007 Rugby World Cup showed the professional nature of the sport in full swing.
ALSO READ: INFOGRAPHIC: SA's 2023 RUGBY World Cup bid
Some of the best players in their positions and combinations equalled by none emerged ahead of the tournament, with the team gaining superstar status.
Even though the team travelled to France with a squad and strategy that ticked all the right boxes, the victory for me was one of relief.
So much had been said in the years before France. The phrase, "judge me on the world cup" springs to mind.
If the Boks did not win, the years between the 2003 and 2007 World Cups would have been for nothing. We waited to see if the coaching staff and management team could deliver on their promise.
We held our breath.
No matter where they finished in France, not winning would have been failure.
Failing to win in 2007 would have made us 'chokers'.
Both the 1995 and 2007 Springboks are legends, as our future world champions will be, no doubt.
But what does it take to dominate world rugby, beat the All Blacks and lift the Rugby World Cup?
Answer that, put it into action and you're on track to becoming a world-class coach.
However, the 1995 and 2007 campaigns give us some of the necessary insight.
South Africa needs to play with the excitement, passion and courage of the 1995 Springboks, while combining those traits with the preparation, self-belief, skill and intensity of the 2007 squad.
It sounds easy, but that's why I'm not a coach.
If all else fails, pick Os du Randt at loosehead prop and select a Maritzburg College flyhalf.
World Cup won!