The Springboks sing the national anthem (Getty)
The Springboks’ 63-21 victory over Italy in Genoa on Saturday was a much-needed injection of positivity for South African rugby, with the lively performance from the backline particularly pleasing to the fans.
The Boks ran nine tries on the day, playing stunning racing rugby at times and, particularly in the second half, delivered almost non-stop action that had social media gasping at the quality of some of the plays.
Before kicking a ball, however, the process got off to a “slow” start with a performance by Nkosi sikelel’ Africa who raised his eyebrows.
The singer, Nicole Magolie, certainly wasn’t wrong in terms of nailing every lyric and hitting every note, but this version of the anthem seemed to take a lot longer than Bok fans back home would have been used to.
Our man on the ground in Genoa, Khanyiso Tshwaku, captured the moment before kick-off when the Bok fans chimed in with highly entertaining reactions.
Matthew Pearce is unruly – let’s hope the game is faster than the anthem??????
— Thala Msutu (@ThalaMsutu77) November 19, 2022
The slowest rendition of the South African anthem I’ve ever heard.
Emotional but slow. #ITAvRSA
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) November 19, 2022
That was a… different interpretation of the South African anthem. Sung like a dirge.
—Dylan Jack (@dylmjack) November 19, 2022
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