After the Springboks’ dramatic 12-11 Rugby World Cup final triumph over the All Blacks in Paris last Saturday, captain Siya Kolisi stated that he will only really feel the magnitude of their achievement once he comes back home – and he certainly got the love this week.
The Boks received a rapturous welcome at OR Tambo Airport on Tuesday, and that trend continued in Gauteng on Thursday as thousands of South Africans lined the streets of Pretoria and Johannesburg to cheer on the champions at the start of their World Cup Trophy Tour.
They finished their day at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, and the tour will move on to Cape Town on Friday, and Durban and East London over the weekend.
This week’s celebrations have been a true showcase of the admiration that the people of Mzansi have for their rugby warriors, but that same praise hasn’t quite been forthcoming in the rest of the world.
Social media has been abuzz this week with fans from top contenders such as Ireland and New Zealand unhappy that the Boks had won the title, as they feel Kolisi’s team don’t play an attractive, attacking brand of rugby and that they rely too much on their forwards – especially the ‘Bomb Squad’ substitutes.
Even the custodians of the sport, World Rugby, snubbed the Boks at their awards on Sunday in Paris, where Eben Etzebeth lost out to New Zealand’s Ardie Savea for the Player of the Year title, while Jacques Nienaber missed out on the Coach of the Year gong.
In addition, only Etzebeth was selected in World Rugby’s Dream Team of the Year, despite the Boks having won the World Cup and having a number of worthy players who could have been selected.
But no worries, World Rugby: the Springboks have brought the Webb Ellis Cup home. And they did the “back-to-back”, having triumphed in Japan in 2019.
The Boks’ main motivating factor is to do it for their people – to provide hope that no matter what your circumstances are, you can reach the top of the rugby world.
Let’s be inspired by Kolisi and his team, and play our part in building a better South Africa for everyone.