Key Takeaways
- Atterbury transformed its four-metre-high “Son of the Soil” rock sculpture into the “Springbok of the Soil” to support the South African national team during the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
- Rugby legend Victor Matfield and young viral singer Willem “Boeta” Minnaar participated in the unveiling event to celebrate the team and promote national unity.
- Dressing the four-ton sculpture required a custom-made jersey with a 2.5-metre chest circumference and Velcro side seams to accommodate the immovable figure.
- The sculpture, created by artist Angus Taylor, is made from ancient rocks including 2 billion-year-old Belfast Gabbro and 3.5 billion-year-old green Verdite.
Rugby legend Victor Matfield called on South African sports fans today to support the Springboks in their quest to bring the Rugby World Cup home once more, revealing the “biggest Bok fan in the world” – a four-metre-high rock sculpture dressed in a giant Springbok jersey by property company Atterbury. Matfield was part of the legendary squad who won the World Cup in 2007.
The massive Son of the Soil, commissioned from acclaimed artist Angus Taylor by Atterbury and placed outside its head office at The Club, in Hazelwood, Pretoria earlier this year, has been transformed into “Springbok of the Soil” for the duration of the World Cup tournament, which kicks off in Japan this Friday, 20 September.
The huge jersey is as close as possible to an exact copy of the official gear which the Boks will be wearing during the World Cup, says Atterbury CEO Armond Boshoff.
“We are huge Springbok fans at Atterbury – our blood runs green for the next month,” says Boshoff. “The fond memories of the way the Boks’ 2007 World Cup win united South Africa, inspired us to make a larger than life statement of support for this bid. There may be a lot of bad news around us, but we believe that there is much to be positive about in South Africa, and business has a responsibility to identify and celebrate good news and show confidence in our country.”
Six-year-old Willem “Boeta” Minnaar of Pretoria, who stole hearts two years ago when a video of him singing the national anthem went viral on social media, reprised his performance at The Club, belting out the anthem along with Matfield and an assembled crowd, many wearing Springbok colours. The video had won the diminutive singer a Kwêla Funnies award for the funniest video of the year.
Dressing the four-ton sculpture in Bok jersey and shorts was quite a challenge, according to Boshoff. The jersey had to measure a metre and a half in length, and fit a manly chest with a circumference of two and a half metres! “It was made with an open side seam with a Velcro closure to be able to dress the immovable figure,” he explains.
Taylor created Son of the Soil out of layers of some of the oldest rock on the planet, including grey Belfast Gabbro that dates back 2 billion years, and 3.5 billion-year old green Verdite from the Barberton area.
The “Springbok of the Soil” will wear his green and gold regalia until the World Cup final on 2 November. Atterbury will host a fan park at The Club and the adjacent Old East Precinct for the weekend of the quarter final, 19-20 October. For more info, contact zandri@atterbury.co.za.
