Intoxicating day of celebration as Gauteng comes alive for Boks

Some Springbok players had a beer on their way to a breakfast meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings on Thursday, and no-one blamed them for it.

Captain Siya Kolisi and coach Jacques Nienaber delivered the Webb Ellis Cup to Ramaphosa at the administrative seat of government to kick-start what turned out to be an intoxicating day of wild celebrations. South Africans showered the gallant Springboks with copious love, adulation and admiration on the streets of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto on Thursday’s Gauteng first leg of their World Cup trophy tour. There will be similar scenes in Cape Town on Friday, Durban on Saturday and East London on Sunday. 

Wherever the open-top bus passed, South Africans of all shapes, sizes and colours, showed their passionate love for this team that beat arch-rivals New Zealand by a whisker in Saturday night’s 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris to be crowned World champions for the second time in a succession.

One of the most poignant moments of the day was in Soweto, near Maponya Mall, where an elderly man took his hat off and sank to his knees while clapping hands as the players’ bus made its way.

It was a moment in time that many people may have missed amid the euphoria, but for those who saw it, it was an unequivocal seal of approval for Kolisi and his men.

Another illustration of the significance of the celebratory occasion was that, at the Union Buildings in the morning, Ramaphosa was joined by most of his cabinet. Ministers in attendance included Zizi Kodwa, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Gwede Mantashe, Barbara Creecy, Joe Phaahla, Sindisiwe Chikunga, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Aaron Motsoaledi and Lindiwe Zulu.

In his address to the players, Ramaphosa paid them the highest compliment by saying they have entered immortality.

“Even amid our many challenges as a country, there is always room for optimism and hope. I have said it before that we do not make light of the challenges that our country faces,” he said.

“We certainly do not imagine that a sporting victory can wish them away, but I want to say that the events of last Saturday, this week and today, are about celebrating the glory of the Springboks. Glory that did not come easily, but glory that is richly deserved. When I addressed you as a team I said, ‘When you win this cup, you will move into immortality.’ And today you are immortal, and you have made us really proud.”

Since Saturday night and the Boks’ arrival home on Tuesday, there has been a mood of celebration in the country with South Africans appreciating that Boks have made history by winning the tournament four times — the mighty All Blacks are next with three.

After they presented the trophy to Ramaphosa, who gave them certificates of excellence in return, the Springboks stopped at Loftus Versfeld where large crowds of rugby-mad supporters gathered. From there they made their way to Paul Kruger Square in Pretoria city centre where they were again greeted by large crowds of excited and appreciative people.

They proceeded to Johannesburg where they visited the offices of headline sponsor MTN in Roodepoort, who surprised SA Rugby with a R30m pledge towards rugby development. The Boks proceeded to Parktown, Braamfontein, Johannesburg central, Main Reef Road and Soweto. The crowds that flooded the streets and mobbed the bus in Johannesburg were even bigger, more boisterous and spectacular than in the capital.

The last stop of the Gauteng leg was at FNB Stadium, just after 5pm, where the Boks were greeted by thousands of excited supporters. It ended a whirlwind day of intoxicating celebrations for the players and technical staff.

Cape Town, Durban and East London are expected to produce the same outpouring of love, passion and appreciation that marked an emotional day on the streets of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto.

When they arrived at FNB Stadium late in the afternoon, the voices of most of the players were gone but the energy and the beer were still flowing. No-one attending cared about that as they sought selfies with their heroes and the Webb Ellis trophy.