Springbok captain Siya Kolisi expressed his sincere gratitude to South Africa’s passionate rugby supporters on behalf of the national team on Monday after they concluded their four-day trophy tour, saying they witnessed a “united nation” in the last few days.
The Springboks embarked on a tour with the Webb Ellis Cup through Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban, and East London since Thursday where thousands of people lined the streets to welcome the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions after their 12-11 victory against New Zealand in the final in France last weekend.
“As a Springbok team we wanted to give South African people hope, but those who welcomed us back at OR Tambo International Airport from France, and all along the trophy tour routes and airports, gave us hope to and inspired us to keep showing that regardless of your upbringing, race, religion and background, you can achieve anything,” said Kolisi.
“We said before the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand that were playing for the 60 million plus people in South Africa, and the support we witnessed first-hand on the trophy tour in the last few days was breath-taking.
“It was special to see the scenes when we arrived home after the 2019 World Cup, but this welcome was something else.
“We said we wanted to help build the nation through rugby, and with tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in all four provinces running next to the bus and cheering us on, we witnessed a united nation, and we hope we can continue to see this in society as well.”
Kolisi added: “The Springboks may only return to the field next year again, but what we took from the last few days will continue to drive us as a team.
“Once again, we wish we could have visited every province and every community, but we have to return to our clubs, so it was not possible. We know, however, that in every province, we would have received the exact same support and passion.
“Thank you, South Africa. We love you.”