RONWEN Williams smiled. The twinkle in his eye is unmissable. He looked at his arms.

“I got goosebumps,” the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper said as he told a story that served to illustrate the strong brotherhood spirit coach Hugo Broos has instilled into the country’s senior men's national football team.

Addressing the media during the pre-match conference for Friday's World Cup qualifying clash against Lesotho, the Bafana captain shared heart-warming stories of how close and caring for each other members of the squad are – the fact that they play for rival clubs notwithstanding.

Injured and out of action for a while in recent weeks, the Mamelodi Sundowns skipper said he got a text of concern from an unlikely national teammate.

“The slight innury I had has done me wonders. And receiving a message from Rele Mofokeng, of all people, saying ‘Skips, what’s going on? I don't see you playing.’ You know, it just made me feel so happy. I got goosebumps seeing him sending me that message, and we were going to come up against each other in two weeks’ time.”

It could well have been that Mofokeng was playing mind games ahead of that crucial Betway Premiership clash between Orlando Pirates and Sundowns. After all, he scored the two goals that saw the Buccaneers winning 2-1 just five minutes into the match with Williams probably still basking in the afterglow of their recent bromance.

That’s the cynic in me right there. The reality is that Williams was letting the country in on what has seen to Bafana’s rise under the silver-haired Belgian coach.

“It’s just the stability, the continuation. I think the coach has just found the right balance and the structure and when there’s structure there’s always room for success.

"But I think now everyone wants to play for Bafana Bafana again. Now players are on the first flight out after a game, they can’t wait to get into camp again. So, that’s amazing and it just shows the team spirit and the brotherhood that the coach has built over the years. That’s what has helped make us successful, the brotherhood.”

Williams explained just what he means by that brotherhood.

“When we are at our clubs there’s the rivalry, but when the whistle blows there’s hugs, no kisses (he cuckles), just a lot of hugs and once we get to camp we put on the same hat, wear the same badge and that helps us.”

Even the players who missed out on selection this time around continue to feel as part of the squad.

“It’s unfortunate that some of the guys are out but just to show how special the group is, I received a message from Yaya Sithole wishing the team luck. For the newbies in the squad, there is no feeling out of place or struggling to assimilate," he says.

“You know it’s so easy coming into this team at the moment that myself and the coach we don’t even have to say much (to welcome the new ones). The group is so good with one another that automatically when you come in - you can feel the warmth, you can feel that you are welcome.

"So, I don't try to put pressure on anyone. I just tell them ‘just be the same person that you are at your club, that’s the reason you are in the national team’. Ja, it’s just a wonderful group to be a part of. Whoever comes in, naturally, they feel at home.”

Williams shared how the rest of the squad supported Lyle Foster when he was struggling and expressed his delight at the Burnley striker being back in the fold.

“When Lyle was having his problems so many guys got in contact with him.You can see the happiness (on Foster’s face). I sent Lyle a message last week when I saw he was injured and asked him how’s it going and he said ‘no skips I am good. I am there. I am coming'.

"It just shows how important the national team is for our players. He said ‘I’ve got a slight injury but I am there’, and you know a fit Lyle is good for the country. There’s so many other players – like having Percy Tau back, we know that a happy and in-form Percy Tau is a bonus for us.

"To have all our players happy - putting their problems aside just coming here to stay focused and do the job; getting on that first flight out - for me that’s important.

"And the spirit amongst us is so good, because when Sithole was out and so many guys posted him (on social media wishing him a speedy recovery), called him and went to visit him at the hospital as well.

"So, it shows that we are growing as a team and we need to continue having that team spirit.”

That team spirit and brotherhood will be key to victory against a Lesotho and Bennin, whom the skipper says Bafana cannot afford to underestimate.

“It’s gonna be tough,” he said of the match to be played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane at 6pm Friday evening.

“Lesotho is a haard-running team and very physical. But when we were watching Cameroon against Swaziland the group said, 'this is what we will come up against'. We realised that if Cameroon played an open game and changed their way of play, Swaziland could catch them on the break and it nearly happened in the last 10 minutes. So, if we mess around and change our game plan against Lesotho, we can get punished.”

You can bet Broos will not allow that to happen. And the players themselves are so committed to taking South Africa to the World Cup that they would let it slip – at least not against Lesotho and not under the watch of a skipper so keen on leading the team to success yet again.

“That injury break did me wonders. Honestly speaking it has refreshed me; it has given me time to sit back and miss the game and energised me for this time that is coming up for club and country.

"It has made me look ahead to the big games that are coming up now,” Williamns said, probably giving those listening some goosebumps as they anticipate the prospects of watching the continent’s premier goalkeeper in action for his country.