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South Africans scream, sing and dance as Springboks return

rugby05 November 2019 18:33| © AFP
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Thousands of South Africans screamed with joy, danced and sang at OR Tambo airport near Johannesburg on Tuesday as the World Cup-winning Springboks returned home.

A big chunk of the 31 players that did duty in Japan in the last two months arrived on three different flights after close to 40 hours of travel time from Tokyo around 5pm on Tuesday afternoon.

Groups of Springbok players and management flew via Sydney, Beijing, Seoul, Doha and Abu Dhabi.

The first groups to arrive – which included World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, RWC final try-scorers Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi, as well as RWC final man of the match Duane Vermeulen – were greeted by massive cheers from thousands of green and gold clad supporters as pandemonium broke out when the Boks exited into the International Arrivals hall.

Kolisi and South Africa's Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus – whose flight via Sydney was delayed by a few hours – landed a few hours later, with supporters patiently waiting for their arrival, and the arrivals hall erupting with thunderous cheers when the Bok captain walked through the doors carrying the Webb Ellis Cup just after 8pm.

A carnival atmosphere enveloped the normally sedate international arrivals section of the airport as the players received deafening applause.

Black and white, male and female, young, middle aged and old, low-income earners and the wealthy all descended on the airport east of Johannesburg to salute their heroes.

Many wore replica green and gold shirts and waved national flags as they celebrated the rugby triumph which was all the sweeter after poor recent results by the national football and cricket teams.

The Springboks dominated and then crushed pre-match favourites England 32-12 in Japanese city Yokohama on Saturday to lift the World Cup a record-equalling third time.

Winning the four-yearly showcase of rugby so decisively has lifted the spirits of a nation.

The Bok captain and coach thanked the supporters for coming out in their droves to welcome their heroes back.

"In Japan, we got a glimpse of the support back home, but this reception is something else – we can't begin to thank everyone for backing us throughout this journey,” said Kolisi.

"We did this for all South Africans – ordinary people who work tirelessly all day long to care for their families and friends and ultimately make our wonderful country an even better place.

"Winning the World Cup on foreign soil was very special – and arriving home to this wonderful support is the cherry on top. We are tired but grateful, humbled and over-awed – thank you!"

"We are privileged to do what we are doing ... we know that can give a little bit of hope to the people," Kolisi told a packed media conference.

"We won because we wanted it a lot. The people here gave us another reason to want it even harder. We had our people with us and it was really special for us."

Erasmus, who celebrated his 47th birthday on Tuesday, said: "What we want to keep on lasting is what we're seeing here at the airport (racial unity).

"We have to focus on making sure that everybody gets equal chances of playing, everybody gets good nutrition and everybody gets a fair chance.

"There are so many things that we have to fix, we can't just focus on the Springboks. There are so many bigger things that we have to fix."

Erasmus said the Boks can't wait to embark on their trophy tour, which kicks off in Gauteng on Thursday. They will also visit Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town on a whirlwind tour stretching over five days.

"We brought the Webb Ellis Cup home for all South Africans and we really wish we could go everywhere to thank our supporters, but unfortunately logistics and time constraints doesn't allow for that to happen this time," said Erasmus.

“I would like to agree with Siya – the support here at the airport today made all the hard work and sacrifices over the last two months worth it. Thank you to everyone who came out to greet us tonight."

The trophy tour kicks off in Gauteng on Thursday, 7 November, with the Bok bus travelling through parts of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto.

On Friday (8 November) the Boks will be in Durban, followed by stops in East London (Saturday 9 November), Port Elizabeth (Sunday 10 November) and Cape Town (Monday 11 November).

More details around the routes the Bok bus will take and where supporters will be able to see the players and the Webb Ellis Cup will be announced on www.springboks.rugby, as well as the Boks’ social media channels on Facebook and Twitter, in due course.

SA Rugby

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