Alec Hogg: For answer to what Ramaphosa’s ‘long game’ means, ask Rassie

I'm busy savouring the excellent Chasing The Sun, restricting myself to a single episode at each sitting. You should too. It's full of surprises. Perhaps the valuable contribution of this documentary about the unlikely Springbok World Cup victory, is its insight into the mind of coach Rassie Erasmus. That delivers lessons for all.

Also read: Alec Hogg: South Africans should thank God for Koos Bekker (and Tencent)

For me, there are parallels between Rassie's plan and the strategy being applied by SA president Cyril Ramaphosa. In the words of Bobby Godsell during our recent interview, both focus on "the long game". Both inherited an awful mess, figuratively below ground zero. Both first worked out where they wanted to go – and then studiously ignored shrills by an attention-deficit mass media when the inevitable setbacks occurred.

In Rassie's case, the climb from 2017's record 57-0 drubbing in New Zealand to being crowned World Champions in 2019 is the stuff of fairy tales. But as the documentary details, he had a plan, one motivated by despair witnessed first hand. Rassie and his team proved the impossible becomes possible when all eyes are kept on the prize.

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