South Africans Expressing Support for All Blacks' Victory Tonight
South African Expats Embrace All Blacks Fandom
Two South African expats, Leonie Winter and Danie Westraadt, have switched their allegiance from the Springboks to the All Blacks, citing dissatisfaction with the management and performance of the South African team.
Danie Westraadt, an aircraft engineer, moved to New Zealand from Pretoria in 2008. His love for the All Blacks grew from watching them during his childhood and admiration after the 1992 All Blacks tour to South Africa. Westraadt's allegiance to the All Blacks became official after moving to New Zealand. He finds the team's humility, as reflected in the leadership of players like Richie McCaw, particularly appealing.
Westraadt, however, believes there is no place for politics in sports and views the historic political controversy between the All Blacks and Springboks as divisive. He has faced criticism from fellow South Africans for supporting the All Blacks, but he believes everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The Silver Fern, a symbol of New Zealand, is symbolic to Westraadt and represents his adopted country and identity as a Kiwi and All Black supporter.
Leonie Winter, who moved from Rustenburg to New Zealand in 2019, was drawn to the All Blacks by the team's consistent performance and style of play emphasizing teamwork, discipline, and innovation. Winter, who has three grown children, finds the national anthem of South Africa reminds her of the Outeniqua Mountains, the ocean, the wilderness, braais, and biltong, causing homesickness. Despite this, she supports the All Blacks wholeheartedly.
Winter and her partner, Jozaine Josephs, a pastor who moved from Johannesburg to New Plymouth last year, have passionately supported the All Blacks since the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Winter believes that promoting diversity is important, but the team's integrity depends on fair and transparent decision-making that balances merit with inclusion.
Interestingly, the majority of the support for New Zealand rugby comes from the non-white, 'mixed race' community, who were previously disadvantaged by South Africa's sports policy. Winter and Josephs, like many others, watch the Springboks play other teams but do not wake up early to do so. They support South Africa when they play against teams like the Wallabies out of patriotism, but the All Blacks remain their primary team.
Winter and Josephs, like Westraadt, have experienced situations in South Africa where they believe white players were overlooked in favor of racial quotas, which has impacted their view of the Springbok team. Despite this, they handle their shift in allegiance with humor, surprising and amusing their family and friends.
The story of these South African expats highlights the enduring appeal of the All Blacks and the complexities of sports fandom, particularly in the context of South Africa's political history.
