The parallels between England's Lionesses and the Springboks in the art of winning tournaments

Daily Maverick

6 days ago

Though the sports are different, there are similarities between the Springboks' 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning campaign and England's recent defence of their European title.
There are two main ways to win a tournament in sports. One is how the Brazilian men's soccer team did it at the 2002 World Cup. They crushed all challengers as they sauntered to overall victory by winning all their games.
The other way is to grind out victories, fighting back when obituaries have already been scribed in relation to the team's campaign. England's senior women's soccer side employed this second strategy on the way to retaining their status as the best in Europe by winning Euro 2025.
The Lionesses defeated reigning world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties to defend the title they first won in 2022, after the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate following 120 minutes of fierce fighting. The English victory was sweet revenge for their failure in the 2023 World Cup final, where their Spanish counterparts downed them 1-0.
Roller coaster campaign
England's tumultuous campaign – which began with 2-1 group-stage defeat to fellow title hopefuls France – was characterised by grit, personality, unity, belief and dogged determination.
Following that loss critics sounded the death knell on the Lionesses' title defence, with Spain firmly occupying the favourites seat as a result. Nevertheless, England won two of their remaining group games convincingly – against the Netherlands (4-0) and Wales (6-1) – to seal a spot in the quarterfinals.
Those would be the last straightforward matches for the European champions. In the last eight, versus a tough Sweden, the Lionesses fought from 2-0 down to level the match at two all. Eventually penalties were needed to separate the teams, with England securing a 3-2 shootout win.
Against Italy in the semifinals it was another marathon match as England clinched a 2-1 extra-time victory to reach a second successive Euro final. Surely their luck would run out in the final? Especially against a Spanish outfit that had swatted aside all competitors on the way to the decider, including eight-time European champions Germany.
Yet, somehow England once again rallied from a goal down to level the score at 1-1 and drag the contest in their third consecutive extra-time battle. After no separation there, penalties were necessary, and the Lionesses roared to a 3-1 victory to retain their title.
The win made coach Sarina Wiegman a three-time European champion following her orchestration of a smoother Euro win for England three years ago. Her first Euro gold came while she was in charge of her native Netherlands in 2017.
Bok-like resilience
Through winning their Euro matches by fine margins and also their ability to rally and find a way past difficult situations, the Lionesses invoked memories of the Springboks' 2023 World Cup campaign.
Rassie Erasmus's team also lost in the group phase, a 13-8 defeat to Ireland which gave critics ample ammunition to cast doubt on the South Africans' ability to retain the title they had won in 2019.
A narrow 29-28 win over World Cup hosts France in the quarterfinals added fuel to the fire of doubt, with the Boks branded lucky by detractors. However, just like the Lionesses, the rest of the Boks' knockout-phase campaign was characterised by slim victories, including a 12-11 win over New Zealand in the final.
The campaign highlighted the Springboks' resilience, adaptability and inability to throw in the towel – under any circumstances. Traits which were also visible during the Lionesses' own roller coaster campaign at Euro 2025.
Strong leadership
Central to both teams being such mentality monsters are their coaches – Erasmus for the Boks and Wiegman for the Lionesses. By all accounts, both leaders are trailblazers and innovators in their sports.
By instilling values of 'all for one and one for all', as well as crafting clear identities for their teams, they have built formidable outfits. Fuelling these talented and tenacious teams is the idea of playing for a bigger cause.
For the Springboks it is about showing that despite South Africa's fractured past and its prevailing socioeconomic inequalities, it's possible for the people of the country to work together and produce something as exceptional as the national team.
In the case of the Lionesses and Wiegman, the bigger picture revolves around the fact that, globally, women's sports are still fighting for the limelight and to be taken seriously. Stories like England's gritty Euro win add more layers to this ever-evolving story as women athletes play catch-up to their male counterparts after years of discrimination.
Calm and collected
Despite being a passionate advocate for women's sports, on the pitch Wiegman hardly ever shows emotion – for better or worse. She exudes calmness and this has trickled over into her players.
'We have players that have talent and the togetherness of this team is really incredible. But also, the belief that we can come back,' Wiegman said. 'The players say we can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up.'
'She's probably one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved. She really, really cares about the human side,' midfielder Keira Walsh said of Wiegman.
'Another thing that you notice when you play for her is how calm she is. It makes a massive difference in the 95th minute when you're losing 1-0 and you look to the side and she's very calm. That speaks volumes of her as a manager,' Walsh added.
Erasmus is the same in those pressure situations, with an ability to make game-winning alterations even in the most precarious situations.
In essence, even though the Springboks and the Lionesses operate in slightly different ecosystems, their mentalities are quite similar. A strong team culture, meticulous preparation and the ability to not give up until the very end make them super-successful teams. DM