Mark Alexander lauds SARU rugby legends’ legacy

An emotionally charged Mark Alexander paid tribute to the history of the SARU legends denied an opportunity to showcase their skills to a global audience at the launch of a book honouring and acknowledging those heroes who fought injustice, prejudice and racial division during the Apartheid era. They are names and faces that must never be forgotten, writes Mark Keohane.

SA Rugby Magazine’s Simon Borchardt attended the lauch, appropriately in Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap, and he told me of the power of Alexander’s speech.

‘I wish I had recorded it,’ said Borchardt. ‘It was a very interesting and powerful speech from Mark Alexander. At the end of it he properly teared up, which I have never seen him do in the past.’

Alexander, who has been the president of SA Rugby since 2016, has been the heart beat and pulse of SA Rugby’s revival in transforming the off-field ills of 2016, when sponsors walked away, investors were scarce and the government was at odds with the sport’s leadership for a lack of custodianship in the transformation of the game.

Alexander, a fiery hooker in his early playing days for the non-racial Transvaal, had his career ended prematurely because of a knee injury, but he quickly transferred that on-field fire in the belly to rugby and sports administration.

Alexander, post the low of South Africa’s defeat against Italy in 2016 and the four Bok wins in 12 in 2017, embarked on the most gruelling resurrection of the Springboks and SA Rugby as a brand to corporate South Africa. The result is that in 2025 South Africa are back to back Rugby World Cup champions, under 20 world champions, 7s world champions, undefeated in the most recent under 18 internationals against France, England and Ireland, and have a competitive team at the women’s World Cup, hopefully of making the quarter-finals of the first time.

But it is the memory of the fight pre-unity that evokes such emotion in Alexander because he was at the heart of that fight to restore balance and normality and equal opportunity to every rugby player in South Africa.

Historian Andre Odendaal described ‘Scrumming Against All Odds’ as a remarkable collection of SARU heroes finally getting their just acknowledgement. The book is edited by Omar Esau. 

I contacted Alexander and asked him if he could send me his speech, to record it online, even if the power of the delivery in person could not be replicated.

He obliged.

‘Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends of rugby, custodians of history and champions of truth— It is both a privilege and a solemn honour to stand before you today at the launch of Scrumming Against All Odds—a work that does more than chronicle the game. It bears witness to a struggle. It gives voice to those who were silenced. And it reminds us that rugby in South Africa was never just about sport—it was about survival, dignity and defiance.

‘This book is not merely a collection of stories. It is a reckoning with our past. A past in which rugby was used to divide, to exclude and to reinforce a system that denied countless South Africans the right to represent their country—not because they lacked talent, but because of the colour of their skin.

‘Yet, in the face of that injustice, communities across this nation refused to let the game die. They played on dusty fields, with torn jerseys and borrowed boots. They coached without pay, organised fixtures without resources and built clubs that became sanctuaries of hope.

‘They scrummed not for glory, but for identity. They tackled not for trophies, but for recognition. And they passed the ball forward—not just in play, but in purpose.

‘These were the men and women who kept rugby alive in the townships, in the rural heartlands and in the forgotten corners of our cities. They sacrificed careers, endured humiliation and faced threats—yet they never abandoned the game. Their love for rugby was unconditional and their commitment to justice was unwavering.

‘And when the walls of apartheid finally fell, it was rugby—more than any other force—that helped unify this country. On that unforgettable day in 1995, when a Springbok jersey became a symbol of reconciliation, we saw what this game could mean to a fractured nation. Rugby gave us a shared language, a common dream and a reason to believe in each other again.

‘But we must also acknowledge that the injustice of apartheid extended beyond our borders. The Māori All Blacks—a team rich in heritage and pride—were denied the right to tour South Africa for decades, simply because they were not white. That exclusion was a stain on our history and it is long overdue that we confront it with humility and remorse.

‘I am pleased to share that the South African Rugby Union is currently in discussion with our counterparts in New Zealand to host the Māori All Blacks for two matches on South African soil next season. These games will not only be a celebration of rugby excellence—they will be a moment of reckoning, of recognition and of reconciliation. We intend to use this occasion to formally
apologise for the discrimination they endured and to honour those who were excluded and marginalised here at home.
Scrumming Against All Odds captures this spirit. It reminds us that the soul of South African rugby was forged not only in stadiums, but in struggle. 

It challenges us to remember that transformation is not a destination—it is a journey. And it calls on all of us, especially those in leadership, to ensure that the sacrifices of the past are honoured through action, inclusion and accountability.

‘As President of the South African Rugby Union, I pledge that we will continue to confront our history with honesty and shape our future with courage. We owe it to those who scrummed against all odds. We owe it to the next generation who must never be told that their dreams are limited by where they come from or what they look like.

‘Let this book be a mirror, a map and a mandate. A mirror to reflect where we’ve been. A map to guide where we must go. And a mandate to never forget the price paid by those who played the game when the game refused to play fair.

‘To the authors, contributors and custodians of this powerful work—thank you. You have not just written a book. You have preserved a legacy.

Thank you.’