Reemz

not that guy....dnt b that guy

[MoNawaf @MBinNawaf]

@FabrizioRomano 🚨 The moment Messi looks at the clock while Argentina are behind… book the earliest flight home. ⏳✈️🐐🇦🇷

[BoknRoll @BoknRoll]

Abracadabra

[Mark Keohane - RUGBY, CRICKET, SOCCER & MESSI @mark_keohane]

Should have been 3 months.

[Rassie Erasmus @RassieRugby]

Lekka Weekend 🇿🇦 Welcome Joe🤝

[HSBC SVNS @SVNSSeries]

Blitzbok state of mind 🗽

South Africa are your #HSBCSVNSNY Champions! 👏

#HSBCSVNS

[Rassie Erasmus @RassieRugby]

Today is a great day!! Sleep Lekka 🇿🇦

[Reemz @Not_Reemz]

@ChalynRugby Hansen took a great team and got sacked because they got worse, Rassie took a underperforming Bok team and made them the best.

[Boet Spencer 🏆🏆🏆🏆 @Spring_n_Boks]

Hang it in the Louvre! They have space #FRAvRSA

[Darren @SaffasRugby]

This picture of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is absolutely cold 🥶

Love the little smirk as he scores, too.

#Springboks

[Rassie Erasmus @RassieRugby]

We are nothing without our people (🇿🇦 supporters) We always “feel” you! Baie dankie

[Nigel Owens MBE @Nigelrefowens]

Is there a greater leader and human being than this man? If he hasn’t already done so he sure will go down as the greatest leader of them all & I’ve been privileged to referee the very very best the rugby world has seen. Congratulations SA and well done all for a terrific TRC.

[Rassie Erasmus @RassieRugby]

Was tough !! but very lekka!! Danko 🇿🇦

[Sky Sports Rugby Union @SkySportsRugby]

South Africa thrash Argentina in Rugby Championship clash 🟩 💪

[Nick Feinberg @thehonestnick]

😭

[The Rugby Philosopher @rugbyphilosophy]

The All Blacks’ performance wasn't embarrassing. What’s embarrassing is Vaa’i clapping when the Boks made a mistake.

Vaa’i may not realise it, but his clapping reveals a deeper tension within the All Black environment.

At its core, it’s overcompensation for a question no All Black ever wants to ask, let alone admit:

“What if we aren’t good enough?”

When we do something to hurt someone, it’s usually because we were hurt in a similar way.

When I want to hurt you, I will turn to the actions that most hurt me—because I believe they are the most hurtful, even if they are not.

It’s a pain response. In the heat of the moment, when we want to hurt someone, we reach for the same weapon that once cut us. Even if it’s blunt. Even if it looks ridiculous.

That kind of over-the-top reaction isn't a mark of dominance. It’s a mirror of the moments Vaa’i’s been on the other negative of making a mistake.

It’s about soothing a wound.

When a rival falters, it’s common for people to feel a flash of satisfaction. Psychologists call it schadenfreude (literally “harm-joy” in German) the pleasure at another’s misfortune.

This kind of malicious joy goes beyond simple competitiveness. It’s a deeper emotional response, an attempt to offset shame or fear of failure by asserting dominance in the moment.

In Aristotle’s analysis, the “pleasure in hubris” comes from a belief that by belittling others, you make your own superiority greater.

So, Tupou Vaa’i’s over-the-top clapping might subconsciously stem from insecurity and internalised pressure.

Psychologists Wilco van Dijk found that people with lower self-esteem tend to feel more schadenfreude toward a high-achieving rival, especially if that rival made them feel inferior by comparison.

And therein lies my point.

Vaa’i may not realise it, but his clapping reveals a deeper tension within the All Black environment.

At its core, it’s overcompensation for a question no All Black ever wants to ask, let alone admit:

“What if we aren’t good enough?”

It’s a question most All Blacks teams have refused to ask, and one they’ve rarely been forced to. Because usually it was easy to blame a referee, a dubious call, a bounce of the ball, an injury, or a World Cup cycle.

But this is the first time in a long time that an All Blacks team has been consistently beaten, consistently dominated, over the span of years and across different tournaments.

For the first time, we’re seeing cracks where it seems like our boys are subconsciously asking questions never posed to legends of old.

For the first time there's genuine fear of not being good enough. And the pain of having to face the question that your greatest fear might actually be true.

The Springboks are a better team than us. But in the past, they’ve only been just as good. They’ve had playoff wins, World Cups, Rugby Championships, one-off victories. But in general, the contest felt 50-50.

Now, for what feels like the first time in a long time, it’s not.

Here’s the key: the All Blacks need to find belief somewhere.

Like Dan Carter said, pressure is a privilege. Walk towards it. Face it. Embrace it.

Feel the pain.
Feel the fear.

That's the only way to ensure it doesn't control you.

But that’s a question for another article—where are the All Blacks at mentally? What caused them to lose their killer edge, their belief, the aura of the jersey?

Something has shifted. The over-the-top overcompensation reveals what they actually believe about themselves, and the doubt they are fighting to keep at bay.

Scoreboards don’t embarrass us. Vaa’i’s nonsense did.
The defeat didn’t cheapen the jersey. That clap did.

Respect is lost in moments like that.

Clapping reveals relief. Not dominance.

#rugby #NZLvRSA

[Reemz @Not_Reemz]

🤣

[All Blacks @AllBlacks]

A close battle here in Wellington! 👊

[Captain Springbok @CaptSpringbok]

😂😂😂💀🪦

[Nick Feinberg @thehonestnick]

Bye bye All Blacks…