Tokyo (AFP)

The suit is heavy: with his bodyguard, Siya Kolisi, first black captain in the history of South Africa, will wear Saturday against England in the final of the World Cup on his shoulders the hopes and weight of everything a country, where rugby is a melting pot of unity between communities.

This time, he will be on the Yokohama lawn and not in front of a bar, as in the second and last title of Springbok World Champion, in 2007 in France.

Too young to remember the first, at home in 1995 at the end of Apartheid, rich in symbols with the image of Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok jersey, handing the Webb-Ellis trophy to captain "afrikaner" François Pienaar, he remembers, however, this second title.

He watched the final (against England, already) at a bar in the township of Zwide, near Port Elizabeth (south), because he did not have television at home. A title that filled a whole country with joy: "(Before 2007), I had never seen people come together through sport."

Kolisi (28, 49 sel.) Then "imagine" the effect that would have a third title Saturday on the "Rainbow Nation", the rainbow nation composed of many ethnic groups.

Appointed captain in June 2018 by the coach Rassie Erasmus, he is the standard bearer of the Springboks, who were long regarded as one of the symbols of apartheid policy (1948-1991) and banned to blacks and "colored".

Anxious to have a representative team from across the country, the federation set a goal of 50% black players for the World Cup; they are 38% (12 out of 31).

"For us, South Africans, rugby has really been a catalyst - of reconciliation, hope, inspiration and change - it's very important and if you do not understand that, you can not understand our It's really good to see young players of color take center stage, "says 2007 World Champion winger Bryan Habana.

- "Huge privilege" -

Erasmus did not name him for the symbol, but because he was, along with the Stormers, "the most successful captain in Super Rugby" among the South African provinces.

"I may have been a bit naive thinking it would not be a huge burden for him," added the coach.

The statement is developed by the third line Francois Louw: "As captain, Siya carries a heavy weight on his shoulders in building our nation, compared to where we come from and where we are right now."

Kolisi, he is aware of the symbolic strength that it represents, especially since it comes from a poor background, but does not really pay attention: "I'm just happy to be the captain, for the great privilege it represents, but being the first black captain is not something I think about. "

"Whether they come from my community or another, I want to represent people," continues the third line, spotted in a youth tournament before getting a scholarship at the prestigious High School Gray High School in Port Elizabeth, which has provided many international rugby and cricket.

- "He had to fight" -

Kolisi, who lost his mother at the age of 15, "had to fight to get where he was, sometimes having to worry about finding crampons to train or wondering what he would have in the belly at night, "says Habana.

"What Siya did is remarkable," says Tendai Mtawarira, the left pillar of the Boks of Zimbawean origin.

"That a kid from the township of Zwide in Port Elizabeth makes his hole in such circumstances, becomes captain of the Springboks, leads the team in this way, it is an inspiration to all South Africans, whatever be their horizons "adds the one who is nicknamed" The Beast ".

Saturday, they will be on their television, pushing Kolisi and their partners, who represent more than a selection.

© 2019 AFP