In sport, as in life, there are moments when everything seems certain – until it isn’t.

The 1995 Rugby World Cup final was one such moment.

I watched this final not as a rugby fan, but as someone in awe of the power and speed of the late Jonah Lomu. He seemed indomitable.

Indeed, New Zealand’s All Blacks were dominant. It wasn’t just me who thought they were unstoppable – the final seemed a foregone conclusion.

Not least because of the mighty talent of Jonah Lomu.

He was a 20-year-old phenomenon who had torn through the tournament like a hurricane. At 6’5”, 120 kilograms, and lightning fast, Lomu was a singular force. And just as he inspired awe in me, so he did in others.

By contrast, South Africa’s Springboks seemed inconsequential. To say they were the underdogs is a definite understatement.

They’d only recently returned to international competition after years of apartheid-induced isolation. But for South Africa and the Springboks, the return to the world stage and this tournament was more than a sporting moment. It was an opportunity for unity. It was symbolic.

And against all odds, the Springboks won.

As I watched the game, I couldn’t believe the Springboks gameplan – or that New Zealand succumbed to it. The Springboks seemed to be putting three or four men on Lomu. It took that much manpower to slow him down.

One man couldn’t halt him. It wasn’t the effort of a lone hero that stalled Lomu – it was a coordinated collective.

One of the world’s most feared athletes was countered by a strategy rooted in teamwork, coordination, and shared responsibility.

The Leadership Lesson: Who Do We Mean When We Say “Who”?

This is the question that was playing in my mind, when I realized it was just over 30 years since that final had been played.

It’s a question for leaders who ask:

• Who’s going to take this forward?
• Who do we need to step up?
• Who will make the difference?

Often, we use “who” to mean one person: The saviour. The rockstar. The standout.

The 1995 Springboks remind us that sometimes, who isn’t one person, it’s a team.

They also remind us that leadership isn’t always about leading from the front. It’s about creating a system where people cover each other. Where real strength lies not in one player’s brilliance, but in how the team organizes itself to meet the moment.

Even Jonah Lomu, brilliant as he was, could not win alone.

Mandela’s Jersey: The Power of Symbolic Leadership

I didn’t realize the full impact of Mandela’s jersey when I watched the final. I was so focused on New Zealand.

For a fleeting moment I wondered why he had dressed in the Springboks’ jersey. I didn’t realize there was a deeper layer to this story.

(And I only realized that after watching Clint Eastwood’s movie: Invictus)

When South Africa did lift the trophy, it wasn’t just about rugby. It was about reconciliation and what it means to lead a divided country towards unity.

Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years by the white-dominated regime, stepped onto the field in a Springboks jersey, a symbol that had long represented apartheid and exclusion. By donning that jersey, Mandela redefined who the team represented. It wasn’t just the few, it was the many.

He showed unity with the team. He showed that leadership is about creating and living meaning – and that it’s about showing belief in a different future and crafting new stories that signal that belief.

Mandela helped shift a collective question around ‘who are we’ to a more concrete sense of ‘who we are.’

Who is the Who?

In organizations today, we still fall into the trap of individualism.

We celebrate the visionary CEO. The charismatic founder. The trailblazing innovator.

But when the stakes are high – when something must truly be overcome  or achieved – it’s often the collective that carries us through:

• The team that supports each other under pressure
• The quiet contributors who maintain momentum and hold the line
• The collectively created culture that enables people to rise a little higher

The Springboks didn’t stop Jonah Lomu because they had better individuals. They won because they played as a cohesive system, with belief, strategy, and collective will.

Mandela united South Africa by embodying inclusion, even when it felt uncomfortable. Even when, for some, it meant wearing the symbol of the ‘other side’.

Putting the Who in Leadership

When you face your own leadership challenge, perhaps consider who you will be – and how you will best use the many ‘who’s’ in your organization. Consider:

• Are you putting the weight on one person – or building a team equipped to act together?
• What symbols are you reinforcing – whether intentionally or not – through what you say, do, wear, or endorse?
• And when you ask, ‘who will lead this?’  –  are you expecting one person to raise their hand, or are you encouraging an environment where the answer is a collective ‘we’?

The story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup is a thrilling story. And though this is a story about a significant rugby match in the tournament, it’s also a story about the ‘who’ – and the collective will to succeed.