The Springboks may well have broken French hearts when they knocked out the hosts of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but Gurthro Steenkamp has revealed how the Boks inspired French club side La Rochelle on their Investec Champions Cup journey this season.
During the playoffs for this year’s competition, La Rochelle embarked on a tough schedule of playing the DHL Stormers in Cape Town in the Round of 16 and then traveling to Dublin a week later to tackle Leinster in the quarter-finals, where they were beaten.
It ended the French team’s hopes of a third successive Investec Champions Cup title.
But according to Steenkamp, the Springboks playing for a greater purpose served as inspiration for La Rochelle.
“We had a similar mindset this year like South Africa had in the Rugby World Cup – that this is not about us or the team, it’s about the people of La Rochelle,” said Steenkamp.
“Winning the Investec Champions Cup the last two years has been unbelievable for our club and for our people in France. We’ve had over 80 games sold out where the fans have pitched up for every home game. And the message was that we need to play for our people back home.”
The message of playing rugby for something greater certainly resonates with Steenkamp, who spoke about the personal challenges he’s overcome in his life.
“When I stopped playing rugby, for two years I was in dark place. If you’ve played at the level we have played and experienced what we have experienced – being part of a Rugby World Cup-winning team – and all the great memories such as the Soweto game with the Vodacom Bulls back in 2010, you experience things which stay part of you.
“It’s not the actual game that you miss. We were all warriors who worked hard and you saw the results of that hard work. For a time it was tough for me to identify who I am if I’m no longer a rugby player. I went on a journey to discover how to redevelop resilience, how to chase my goals and how to find myself again.
“I’m grateful I did that. That’s why I’m passionate on social media to share my message and reach people. I’m a big advocate for mental health and resilience. I get messages from people telling me they were in a dark place and contemplating suicide and that they really appreciate my message. That’s what I’m trying to do. To encourage and inspire people. We need to make each other stronger and not break each other down. I’m a firm believer that the strong need to serve the weak.
“If you really want to achieve something great and you are willing to do what is necessary, there is always a path. It might not be easy and the road might be rocky and with lots of obstacles. But anything is possible. I know it sounds easy coming from a former rugby. But I’ve experienced life after rugby. I had to forge my own way to get where I am today.”
And it’s this same resilience that the former Vodacom Bulls and Springbok legend says he appreciates in South African rugby, which he says has added a different level to the competition in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the Investec Champions Cup.
“I loved playing in the European Championship. That’s one of the reasons I went to France back in the day – to have that experience. Everybody might have their mixed feelings about having South African teams in the Investec Champions Cup, but I’ll tell you this, they’ve brought another dynamic to the competition.
“From a coaching point of view I’ve really enjoyed it because South Africans are different. I always tell people that rugby for us is a religion. It’s a way of life. South Africans are incredibly resilient. To have that element in the competition is great.
“There is that physicality, but the South African game has evolved over the years and we’ve seen from the younger generation that they have a skillset to also execute an exciting style of play. It has changed the Champions Cup and I think it’s been great. It’s also given me an opportunity to come back to South Africa and coach in front of my people, which is huge honour.
“It’s always just a proud moment for me to be back in South Africa. This country has given me so much and even though I come back with a different team, it’s always great to come back to where everything started. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t taught the values at grassroots level in South Africa.”
