Huge crowds salute South Africa's rugby world champions
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Tens of thousands of jubilant South Africans have lined the streets of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto to salute the Rugby World Cup champions.
The Springboks who thrashed England 32-12 in Tokyo on Saturday have lifted the spirit of the entire nation. They became the only team to win the coveted William Webb Ellis trophy on three continents (Africa, Europe and Asia).
Political analyst William Saunderson-Meyer summed up the mood of the nation by saying “the Springbok victory was to South Africa like cold, spring water to a parched throat – it was only when it arrived that we fully comprehended how badly we had needed it”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and most of his Cabinet received the players at the Union Buildings on Thursday morning.
He quipped that if an election were held today, team captain Siya Kolisi would probably be elected President. "These are our warriors who went out to war and brought back the trophy. We sent them out to represent the country and they did so with excellence. The country thanks you and we are very proud of you," he said in address on national television.
After driving to Johannesburg in a double-decker bus, the players were greeted by jubilant crowds in the sprawling Soweto township.
There was extraordinary irony in the fact that Kolisi – the country’s first ever black captain – was born on 16 June, 1991 which is the annual anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Riots which triggered the revolution that ended Apartheid.
For the first 90 years that the Springboks played rugby in South Africa only white players were eligible. Following the fall of Apartheid, world statesman Nelson Mandela recognised the power that the sport had to promote racial unity and he backed the Springboks in the build-up to the 1995 World Cup, which South Africa hosted and won.
Apart from Kolisi, there were six other black players who appeared in the final and both tries were scored by the black wings.
Over the next four days, the squad will parade through Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
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