“It was a true team effort,” Branco du Preez said after South Africa’s victory over Canada at the Canada Sevens tournament on Sunday.
Du Preez wasn’t talking about the Blitzboks’ 36-7 win over the host nation, but rather how his teammates helped a local driver fix a flat tire on their way to the stadium on Saturday.
The team was heading to BC Place for the first day of competition when they spotted two women on the side of the road in need of help. Video posted to social media shows team members in their warm-up gear offloading the flat tire and replacing it with a spare.
Team captain Philip Snyman said they were happy to help.
“Everyone was pushing each other out of the way to change the tire,” he said.
The Blitzboks’ jerseys sport the quote “Pioneers of Greatness,” something Snyman says he hopes their gesture showed.
“We always want to do things on the field right, but it also starts off the field. That’s exactly what our team stands for. Our culture means touching people’s lives.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s your own country or your own family, we want to put a smile on everybody’s faces and that makes us happy.”
– With files from The Canadian Press
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