South Africa’s sportsmen and women had the Midas touch at the weekend when everything they tried their hand at turned to gold.
There were memorable wins for the rugby Springboks, Blitzboks and South Africa’s women’s cricket team over England in what proved to be a spectacular trifecta for South African sport.
Gutsy triathlete Richard Murray then put the cherry on the cake with his first Olympic distance World Triathlon Series gold in Leeds.
Like the Boks, Murray recovered from a shaky start to emerge triumphant on a special weekend for sports lovers.
South African sportsmen and women are renowned for their gritty determination and this characteristic shone through in all the codes.
But that Midas touch is not guaranteed to last forever as Dane van Niekerk’s cricket team and the Juniors Boks found out this week.
They say one swallow does not make a summer, but there will be a new spring in the step of the senior Boks after their come-from-behind win.
After losing to Wales and then slipping to a 21-point deficit against England, things had been looking bleak for Rassie Erasmus and his new-look team.
But the Boks clawed their way to a thrilling win over the English in front of 55 000 jubilant fans at Ellis Park.
It was a game that will live long in the memory and will hopefully provide the Boks with a platform to register a series win over the English.
With Siya Kolisi running out as South Africa’s first black captain, this was always going to be a special occasion with deep emotional feelings for fans and players.
What impressed most was the exciting display by the dynamic Bok backline which cut the English apart during the stirring fightback.
Under previous coach Allister Coetzee there was a steady decline in the fortunes of the Boks, who plummeted down the world rankings.
At Ellis Park, the Boks played with new purpose and passion which certainly bodes well for the renaissance of Bok rugby.
There will be no time for the Boks to rest on their laurels because they will face a wounded English team in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
With their pride restored, the Boks will look to clinch the three-match series in front of their passionate Free State supporters.