Scenes of jubilation played throughout East London on Sunday as thousands of supporters welcomed the record-breaking Springboks as they paraded the Webb Ellis trophy they won in France in a nail-biting final against New Zealand. The notable absence of big stars like Handré Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Kwagga Smith, Cheslin Kolbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Trevor Nyakane, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damien de Allende, Willie le Roux and RG Snyman did little to dampen the mood.
The Springbok World Cup trophy tour brought East London to a standstill, with residents saying the team’s victory has reignited the dreams of many struggling Eastern Cape residents who lined up in their thousands to see their heroes on Sunday.
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Thousands of Springbok fans laughed, cried, danced and cheered in public viewing areas in the Buffalo City Metro on Saturday evening as match referee Wayne Barnes blew the final whistle, confirming the Boks’ victory in a nail-biting Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand in France.
In his bid to help South Africa retain its Rugby World Cup title, Cheslin Kolbe is ready to leave his favorite position on the wing and dig into his rugby sevens experience to play at scrumhalf against New Zealand in Saturday's final. Kolbe, who scored a try for the Springboks in the final against England four years ago, has been putting on scintillating displays on the wing during this year’s tournament in France. The diminutive Kolbe touched down in that tense contest and his charge down at full speed to block a conversion attempt by Thomas Ramos was a game changer as South Africa prevailed 29-28 at the Stade de France.