Late Tackle: Stephen Donald on the Springbok resurgence and becoming a mentor

Stephen Donald, who famously kicked New Zealand to the 2011 World Cup title after joining the squad before the semi-finals, believes the Springboks are back.

Donald, who is currently plying his trade in Japan’s Top League with the Green Rockets, stills plays an active role with some of the young members of the All Blacks squad and opened up about how those players felt following their shock defeat in Wellington.

“I sort of took on a mentorship role with some of the young All Blacks, so I look after a couple of the young boys there,” Donald said.

“A few of them were a bit down after Wellington [Springboks defeated the All Blacks 36-34] and I rang them up and said ‘Mate, it’s great that you got to experience that because when a South African team is firing like that, there’s nothing tougher that you are ever going to have to face.

“I just think it’s great for those [All Blacks] boys to have experienced it and they came through the other side of it. I’ve always said, the South African teams tests your manhood and tests your character.

“So, I think it’s great that they [Springboks] are back. Obviously, Rassie has turned them around a bit and I just hope it’s here to stay. It looks like they are on the right path for the 2019 World Cup,” he added.

Listen to what Stephen Donald has to say about the Springboks and more below:

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