On Monday, the South African sporting world announced that Siya Kolisi would become the first black captain of the Springboks rugby team. That marks a major milestone for Mr. Kolisi, who grew up in an impoverished township near Port Elizabeth, and one for a storied team in what has historically been a white man’s game, both on the field and in the stands.

In other words, it’s a big deal for a country where the issue of racial representation in sports still courses through the national dialogue, 24 years after the end of apartheid.

In 1995, South Africa’s upset victory in the Rugby World Cup, chronicled in the movie “Invictus,” united a nation around a sport few black citizens wanted anything to do with. It’s been a bumpy road since, with black players charging they had fewer opportunities and white fans saying black players were underrepresented because they were less qualified. Just recently, a black former rugby player walked off a TV broadcast after castigating his fellow commentators, both white former rugby players, for patronizing him.

But Kolisi’s appointment points to the momentum in the other direction. Just over two decades ago, Kolisi could not have married his wife, who is white. And he certainly could not have dreamed of breaking through one of his country’s most tenacious remaining racial ceilings.

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