South Africa’s 2019 Rugby World Cup champions, the Springboks, kicked off a nationwide victory tour on Thursday, with the country’s number one supporter President Cyril Ramaphosa sending them off from his Pretoria offices.
Boks captain Siya Kolisi had brought his fellow players and their gold cup to Ramaphosa to receive his blessings one more time before embarking on the victory bus for Johannesburg and Soweto legs of the tour.
The Springboks were not disappointed as fans from all walks of life and races flocked to the government offices to meet them as they waved flags, danced and sang victory songs for their heroes who beat favourites England 32-12 in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday to bring the prestigious cup to Africa.
The president told the multitude: “These are our warriors. They went out to war and they won and brought the trophy back to South Africa where it belongs.”
Recalling the final match on Saturday, Ramaphosa said: “There were 2.5 billion people watching the match for 80 minutes. During the match I did have feelings of nervousness. But I saw victory written all over their eyes.”
With this victory, “they put us on the world map,” the president added.
On Friday, the National Victory Tour will hit Durban to continue along the eastern coastal cities of the country until the Springboks reach Cape Town on Sunday, according to the team’s travel programme.
NM/jn/APA