Siya Kolisi Breaks Into Gwijo After Springboks Beat All Blacks in Baltimore
- Siya Kolisi burst into a traditional gwijo mid-interview after the Springboks sealed a 3-1 series win over the All Blacks
- The 43-28 victory at M&T Bank Stadium was South Africa's first series win over New Zealand on American soil
- The viral clip moved fans to invoke Nelson Mandela's famous words about sport's power to unite
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Springboks captain Siya Kolisi could not help himself. Midway through a pitchside interview after the Springboks' 43-28 victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore, the captain stopped, drew breath, and launched into a gwijo, the traditional Xhosa a cappella call-and-response song, right there in front of the cameras.
Source: Getty Images
The win at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday sealed a 3-1 series result in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry. It was a historic moment on two fronts: South Africa's first series victory over New Zealand on American soil, and the first Test ever played between the two nations in the United States.
Fans online quickly identified the tune Kolisi sang as "Kubo." It was entirely in character. Singing has long been part of how this Springbok squad marks big moments, and Kolisi has made a habit of starting one up regardless of whether a microphone is pointed at him.
Gwijo goes viral
Footage of the interview spread rapidly across social media, gathering thousands of views within hours. One widely shared post captioned the clip
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"Nelson Mandela was 100% right," drawing on the late president's speech at the Laureus Sports Awards, where he spoke about sport's power to change the world and bring people together in ways little else can.
South African fans in the comments swapped translations of the lyrics for those unfamiliar with the gwijo tradition. Others took a gentler approach with Kolisi's singing voice, joking that it would not be troubling any music charts any time soon. Not all the responses were entirely reverent.
One user wondered aloud which Mandela quote was even being referenced, while another cheekily suggested that time abroad may have cost Kolisi a touch of authenticity. One reply veered into football territory entirely, ribbing the account for celebrating rugby while staying suspiciously quiet about its side's slide down the PSL table.
Watch the moment below.
Sya Kolisi applauds coach Rassie Erasmus
According to Kolisi, the Springboks were not in a healthy place mentally before Rassie Erasmus took charge. He credited Erasmus with arriving with a clear plan to change the team’s direction and improve their mentality.
Erasmus also shifted the squad’s mindset away from individual ambitions and towards the importance of the team. He reminded the players of the Springboks’ history, influence and strength while stressing that the collective had to come before individual interests, even though every player still had an important role in making the team successful.
With the squad made up of players from different backgrounds and speaking 11 different languages, Erasmus managed to bring everyone together around a common purpose. Kolisi said their shared objective was to represent the Springbok jersey with pride and make the people of South Africa proud.
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Source: Briefly News
