IN PICS: Springboks kick off their trophy tour

The Springboks kicked off their World Cup Trophy tour in Gauteng today, starting with a ceremony at the Union Buildings, where they were hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Welcoming the Rugby World Cup champions, the President was joined by scores of Springbok supporters across different age groups and races, who filled the streets and cheered for the team.

Ramaphosa thanked the Springboks for lifting the spirits of the entire nation.

“Never in the history of the Rugby World Cup has any team lifted the trophy on four occasions. Until now. In doing so, you have lifted the spirits of an entire nation and filled us with pride.

“You have united the South African people. The words ‘Amabokobo’, ‘Go Bokke’ are being shouted from the rooftops by black and white, young and old, urban and rural dwellers, in all our national languages. Over the past eight weeks, this country has been a sea of green and gold.

“People who haven’t even followed rugby before or been interested in the game are now talking with confidence about scrums, rucks, drop kicks and tries,” the President said.

He said the performance of the Springboks in this year’s Rugby World Cup has captured people’s imagination and energised them in a way not seen in a long time.

“It has reminded us that even amidst our many challenges, there is always room for optimism and hope. I have said before that we do not make light of the challenges our country faces. We certainly do not imagine that a sporting victory can or will wish them away.

“Your journey to victory in France on Saturday night was as much about our journey towards nationhood as it was about sporting excellence. It was as much about the power of transformation,” said the President.

He said Amabokoboko are testament to the power of a dream.

“Every young boy and girl in this country today – whether they are black, white, Indian or coloured – now knows they don’t have to be content with dreaming of becoming like you. They know they can be you.”

The Springbok rugby team tour will continue in Cape Town (Friday, 3 November) and Durban (Saturday, 4 November) before concluding in the Eastern Cape (East London) on Sunday, 5 November.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi expressed gratitude to South Africans for supporting the team during the tournament.

“We, as a team, chose to dedicate this World Cup to you because you are the reason we are where we are today. Your resilient spirit, how hard you work and the things that you go through to be where you are in life.

“Your support kept us going. We are very diverse and we wanted to show that diversity is our strength in South Africa. We need to use our diversity. It is a powerful force that many countries do not have and that we can use.

“When we work together regardless of our backgrounds, we put South Africa first and work for South Africa. That is what we did. We did it by playing rugby.”

South African Rugby Union (SARU) President Mark Alexander said the team’s victory is a testament of the unwavering support and boundless passion of the millions of South Africans who supported the team.

“Your Tik Toks, YouTube and Facebook posts celebrating the victories played a role in motivating our team as they fought brilliantly on the field. Our team has achieved a historic fourth Rugby World Cup, an epic accomplishment that could not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our players, led by the coaching team.”