BIG MATCH TEMPERAMENT

It's not about who scores a try or wins a match. It's about the nation that goes the distance. A nation that stares adversity in the face and doesn't give up. It's about people who are more resilient than anyone else on earth. It's called big match temperament, and that's what makes a winner.

It's also why the Webb Ellis Cup belongs right here. Not because of fifteen men on a rugby field... but because of all 59 million of us. And so, no matter what happens on October 28th, we're already the champions of the world.

Here's why...

Wake up in darkness. Bedtime in darkness.

It needs to be said (because a conversation isn't a conversation without loadshedding). Can you imagine what the Ozzies would do if they had to survive one weekend without electricity? Politicians would apologise, ministers would resign... and the locals would go mad. No power to energise their fully-functional traffic lights? Unthinkable. Their nation would probably fall apart. Here, on the other hand, we wake up in darkness and give thanks to the heavens, because at least it's happening now and not when MasterChef is on.

Queuing like nobody queues.

The British love a good queue. They form queues where no queues are even necessary, and they just love standing in them - politely and calmly. But you know who really knows how to queue? We do. Put a British family in a Home Affairs queue for eight hours, and then we'll see who's got staying power. They probably won't even remember to bring a cooler bag full of snacks. (Amateurs...)

Braving the elements.

There's a theory about how the All Blacks are so powerful because they live in a "rugged" environment. Maybe it looks that way in The Lord of the Rings, but is the Land of the Kiwis really so treacherous? How many potholes do they have? Does it snow in cities where it's not supposed to snow? Do they have provinces with no water one year, and torrential rain the next? We do, and we brave the elements with smiles on our faces. And also, we braai. Rain or shine (or cyclone), we braai.

And so...

At those times when we're not standing around the braai, we're staring into the face of economic challenges and questionable politicians and a worrying exchange rate. We often live in darkness. We drive through the potholes and we wonder what our future holds. So what do we do? We put on our Bok jerseys. We paint our faces. We put an arm around whoever's closest, and we sing our hearts out.

And that is what big match temperament is all about. It's not about celebrating the wins. It's about showing up, every day. No matter what.

So come home, Webb Ellis. We've worked hard for you.