Ashwin Willemse says All Blacks and Springboks form greatest rugby rivalry
Saturday 24 October 2015 18:10, UK
Former Springbok Ashwin Willemse told Sky Sports the rivalry between South Africa and New Zealand is the greatest in world rugby.
The two Rugby Championship foes meet once again on Saturday, this time in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, in what is being billed as the biggest game of the tournament. The clash between two giants of the game always ignites world rugby, and their knockout showdown at Twickenham will prove no different.
Former Test winger Willemse played four times against the old enemy, and says it's a game which meant the most of all his internationals.
"We grow up in a nation where there's one game that we all hoped to one day play and that's a Test match against the All Blacks," Willemse told Sky Sports.
"I think this game captures the essence of sport; mutual respect, understanding, sportsmanship and gratitude. It is all those amazing virtues that have been captured through a big rugby rivalry.
"It represents a lifetime of dreams, hopes, and beliefs. It all culminates into that moment, that is what it has meant to me to play against the All Blacks.
"It is arguably the greatest derby in world rugby. There is a lifelong tradition between the two teams and there is a tremendous amount of respect."
The All Blacks will start proceedings at Twickenham with their cultural challenge of the haka, a tradition that is as important to the New Zealanders as it is to the South Africans who have had the privilege of facing it over the years.
"The haka is a very intimidating process and I think that's what makes it so beautiful," says Willemse.
"To be able to stand there and accept the challenge from the haka before the whistle blows to start the game… that to me has always been a motivating factor in playing against the All Blacks.
"It is one of those things where you enter battle before the game has even started. It's like two boxers at the weigh-in and the All Blacks bring that confrontation.
"I always stood there in full acceptance of what they have to offer, with a great amount of respect for the tradition.
"Notwithstanding that while there's respect, there is also a great deal of confidence that I had in knowing that I was there to represent my country and couldn't allow myself to be intimidated by the haka.
"It's something that will always stay with me for as long as I live."
Willemse now spends his time in front of the camera as a pundit on South African TV, and says it's all too easy for those feelings to overwhelm him years after playing his last game.
"Once a sportsman, always a sportsman. It's very difficult not to become emotional," said the 2007 World Cup winner.
"The guys sing the national anthem and I get goosebumps; that just reiterates that I have green and gold pumping through my veins - rugby is me and I'm rugby.
"Once you're part of a team you're always part of that team and it gives me a tremendous amount of joy and pleasure to be able to feel that way about something so special."
South Africa bonds
Willemse is not the only one looking forward to the semi-final between the two rugby giants. In any week building up to a Test match against the All Blacks, South Africa turns a completely different shade of green.
It's a game that captures the whole country, and promotes conversations between fans from all walks of life in a country where tensions between people can be high.
"When you go and fill up your car at a service station and speak to the attendant, the first thing he says is, 'What will happen on Saturday?'
"It's everywhere you go.
"I was in Cape Town to address a company, then I went to a school and spoke to a few schoolkids. I went through a routine road block, I went to fill up my car, the security guard at a house - all everyone wants to talk about is the Springboks.
"I'm driving along and a person pulls up next to me and just gives me the thumbs up and a finger pointing towards the car saying 'go Bokke'.
"This game is what sport is all about."
As for Saturday's semi-final, Willemse couldn't be drawn on a victor, nor any individuals important to South Africa's cause.
"All I can say at this stage of the game is that it's all on a knife edge and it can go either way.
"The two coaches have a tremendous amount of respect for each other; the players have an enormous amount of mutual respect.
"The key players for the Boks in this particular Test I would think are numbers 1 to 23. There comes a time in any competition where everyone has to think he will be the person that will bring that magic moment to the game.
"This game requires a total team effort, and in fact the bench will be even more important than the starting line-up.
"The starting line-up will have to leave nothing on the floor, they have to ensure that every single drop that they have is being given out on that day, they must leave the tank empty."
Willemse, whose autobiography Rugby Changed My World is out next month, had his life transformed by the game. He grew up in one of the most dangerous areas in South Africa, and would have had a very different life had rugby not lifted him from the gang culture of his home town.
"I have the deepest sense of gratitude to this game. Right from the fans, to the players and coaches, and to their families.
"I strongly believe that I am who I am because of what I've been through, but also because I've learned from the experiences of others from being part of a team.
"Rugby gives you a sense that we are part of something central, and it's something to cherish."
Ashwin Willemse features in the latest Guinness campaign, which celebrates stories of integrity and character from the world of rugby. To watch the films visit www.YouTube.com/GuinnessEurope.
