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Life Is a Team Game: Inside 25 Years of South African Rugby with Simnikiwe Xabanisa
Episode 77
Veteran sports writer Simnikiwe Xabanisa joins Gurthro Steenkamp to reflect on 25 years of South African rugby, the lessons he’s learned from covering the Springboks, and why he believes that “life is a team game.”
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This episode dives deep into the evolution of the Boks, the media’s changing role, and the mindset that defines great teams and great people. It’s a conversation about truth, resilience and connection — on and off the field.
Chapters
Totally—here’s a tighter set (12 chapters) you can paste straight into YouTube/Spotify:
00:00 – Cold open: “Life is a team game”
01:36 – Intro & why Sim’s here
07:17 – SA Rugby’s evolution: 2000s to Rassie
22:16 – How player access & media changed
27:57 – What a rugby journalist really does (context > clicks)
35:26 – Coaching, performance & integrity (scrum “cheat codes”)
44:40 – Why the Boks keep winning: continuity, depth, transformation
56:09 – The rise of Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
58:14 – France vs Springboks: rivalry, emotion, stakes
01:06:51 – Habits behind a 25-year journalism career
01:14:22 – Setback to comeback: Sim’s toughest years
01:28:06 – Closing thoughts & what’s next
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Published on 2 months ago