South Africans woke up lighter, happier, and proud again, as Saturday’s Gross Happiness Project numbers showed exactly what we all felt: the Boks bring joy.
South Africa (24 August 2025) – South Africa woke up smiling again. After a gloomy sporting weekend that drained the country’s spirits, the Springboks have restored the nation’s joy with a hard-fought 30–22 victory over the Wallabies at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium.
Last weekend, sport knocked South Africa down. According to Professor Talita Greyling from the University of Johannesburg, who leads the internationally recognised Gross Happiness Project, national happiness plunged to 7.17 on the Gross National Happiness scale on Saturday, 16 August 2025. To put that in perspective, Saturdays usually hover at an average of 7.3. The reason? Losses across rugby, cricket, football, and even MMA (with Dricus Du Plessis falling short) all piled into one long, bitter sporting weekend.
“Sport plays a central role in South Africa’s happiness, and the losses and disappointments across football, rugby and cricket, in a single weekend profoundly affect the mood of the nation,” said Prof Greyling.
But just a week later, the mood has shifted. On Saturday, 23 August 2025, South Africa’s happiness level climbed back up to 7.26… right in line with our usual Saturday “average.” Proof, once again, that when the Boks win, the country’s spirits rise.
The Gross Happiness Project, run by Prof Greyling and her international team of researchers, measures real-time happiness levels in different countries by analysing people’s emotional expressions on social media. Using advanced data science and sentiment analysis, the project is able to “nowcast” happiness, essentially providing a live snapshot of how people are feeling at any given moment. Instead of waiting for surveys or reports, the GNH captures mood shifts as they happen, allowing us to see how major events, from politics and pandemics to, yes, rugby matches, directly affect national wellbeing.
And when it comes to South Africa, sport is one of the clearest drivers of those emotional highs and lows.
The Springboks entered Saturday’s clash under pressure after a shock defeat to the Wallabies on the Highveld. Yet in front of 56,350 roaring fans in Cape Town, they dug deep, retained the Mandela Challenge Plate and reminded us all why they remain one of the most resilient teams in the game.
Handré Pollard opened with two penalties, showing calm control from the start. His masterful kicking game repeatedly caught the Australians off guard and gave the Boks momentum. Canan Moodie’s try, followed by Kwagga Smith’s determined run over the line, handed the team a solid 20–10 lead at half-time. Australia fought back hard in the second half, closing the gap with tries from Max Jorgensen and Brandon Paenga-Amosa, cutting the Boks’ lead to a nail-biting one point. But Eben Etzebeth, South Africa’s most capped Test player, powered his way over the try-line in the closing minutes to seal the game. Pollard’s composure with the boot earned him the Man of the Match title, while Cheslin Kolbe’s late turnover was a reminder of the bravery and heart that define this team.
It wasn’t flawless rugby. Handling errors and scrappy phases gave the Wallabies opportunities but the Boks’ ability to regroup and push forward made the difference.
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More importantly, the result lifted the national spirit.
From a low of 7.17 to a bounce back of 7.26 in just a week, the Gross Happiness Project has given us measurable proof of what we already feel in our bones: Springbok victories do more than secure trophies… they unite us, lift us and bring joy to our weekends.
Ja, when the Bokke rise, so does South Africa!
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