All Blacks captain Ardie Savea marked the start of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry by going to church with the Springboks’ captain, Siya Kolisi last Sunday. Its all about finding your true identity and that can only be found in Christ. “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

New Zealand’s All Blacks are in South Africa to face the Springboks in a series of next-level test matches. The inaugural games are scheduled to occur every four years, alternating between NZ and SA, and are being marketed as “a tour like no other.” Both the current All Blacks and Springboks captains are close friends, and firmly committed Christians. So much so that Savea shared the message and a picture on Instagram, stating,

“Nothing better than being in the presence of the Lord with my brother in Christ. A powerful word today on staying faithful in unexpected places. Acts 28:1-11.”

Savea: Finding Identity in Christ

For Savea, his family and faith in Christ are central to keeping life grounded.

In a July 2024 podcast, Savea said going back to the Bible was essential to that process. Specifically, when he’s hit with a flood of people’s opinions.“Once I found my identity in Christ, and who I actually was, [I] didn’t really care about what other people thought of me. I knew who I was through the Lord,” he noted.

“Every time I get to a point where I start believing people, listening to their opinions that are not good for me, I just get back to the Word and pray.”

“Then I get out of it and talk to people that are like-minded.” He also credited his wife for her support and sacrifices.

One year before this, the All Black dedicated a 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final win to the glory of God. As reported by Premier Christian News, Savea told reporters, “All glory to the man above.”

He did the same on social media, stating,

‘”ALL GLORY TO YOU! THANK YOU, JESUS,” wrote Savea, with All Blacks teammate Neo Laulala replying: “JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY!!!”

This week, Savea stepped up even more. He dropped two live devotional walk-throughs on his YouTube channel from a hotel in Johannesburg.

Kolisi: From the Ghetto to Grace

While Siya Kolisi doesn’t have the same prolific presence online, the Springbok captain is prolific when it comes to sharing his story. https://youtu.be/WH5Wqp2TmBk?si=G4O9fOpuXAuFsuC9

In a 2019 piece for SportGoMag, Kolisi wrote candidly about his past, saying, “I was raised by my grandmother because my mother and father were too young to look after me.”

Explaining that he lived with seven others and slept on the floor, Kolisi added, “Living in the ghetto, we struggled to get by.”

“We couldn’t afford to pay for my school and all the fees that went along with it, but I went to school every day because it was where I received my one meal for the day.”

Kolisi goes on to state that Rugby “seemed to keep me away from a lot of the bad things going on around me.”

“I lost a lot of friends because while I was focusing on being the best I could be in my sport, they were falling prey to the struggles and temptations of life in the hood.”

He went pro-ball in 2012, rose through the ranks and now captains one of the world’s top Rugby teams.

“God has been preparing me for such a time as this,” he stated.

“While I grew up going to church with my grandmother, and went off and on in the past few years, it wasn’t until [2019] that I truly gave my life to Christ.”

“I realised,” Kolisi recalled, that “I wasn’t living according to what I was calling myself: a follower of Christ. I was getting by, but I hadn’t decided to fully commit myself to Jesus Christ and start living according to His way.”

“I don’t have to understand everything in life, and there are so many things I don’t, but I know God is in control of it all.”

“My job is to do the best I can and leave the rest in His hands.”

Kolisi then concluded,

“If God can come through for countless people throughout history who had their backs against the world, He can do the same for me.”

Although rivals on the field, both Kolisi and Savea have repeatedly said they’re brothers in Christ off it.

These new test matches between South Africa and New Zealand help to further seal that deal