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The Springboks are excellent at two things; bringing Saffas together and utter, nail-biting, on-the-verge-of-chundering drama.
They somehow won the quarter-final game against France by a one-point margin (29-28), then they sent the nation reeling with joy after winning against England in the semi-finals by another one-point margin (16-15), and again at the finals with the All Blacks, the Boks dominated again by just one point (12-11).
Point taken, the drama is real.
The nation felt like Cheslin Kolbe burying his head in his jersey in the last seven minutes of the final game, unable to watch with that amount of anxiety over whether or not we would win our fourth World Cup.
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If only we could also have been so warmly embraced by captain Siya Kolisi at full-time – we all needed it.
Siya Kolisi sprints to embrace Cheslin Kolbe. pic.twitter.com/6JqNHtbY35
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) October 28, 2023
Nontheless, South Africans all around the world did what we do best: bring the gees.
I spent a good hour yesterday sobbing at all the celebratory posts from our people, all the energy raging through the streets (despite load-shedding, nogal), and all the hilarious Saffa-style jokes that made this RWC so unifying and magnificent. In the spirit of sharing in each other’s joys, this is a round-up of all the best ‘holy wit kant, we won’ moments.
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What a time, indeed:
Taking it back to the Stade de France, where the All Blacks look swollen, sore, and sorry for themselves:
This hits home:
It feels good to be a South African; all thanks to the #Springboks squad and Rassie Erasmus
#RWC2023Final #RugbyWorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/tVjIQ9Gb3B
— TK_Nala
(@NalaThokozane) October 28, 2023
Nothing beats the vibes at home, though:
This moment
happy i managed to capture this #RugbyWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qXrHUi0YA4
— but (@TheyCallmeLu_) October 28, 2023
I hope everyone is practising this dance at home right now because it is about to be iconic:
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In your special ‘wit kant’ t-shirt, because that Tom Curry ‘slur’ situation is now a joke to go down in history:
Kies jou kant:
Design #1: Wit Kant
R200 each (incl. VAT)
Free collection in Observatory or PUDO to your address (R60). https://t.co/qtzkDaQp4z pic.twitter.com/mM6OLnUuC1— Marthelize (@Konfytbekkie) October 24, 2023
Get in there, boys!
Most wholesome moment of #RWC2023?#RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/5EFcl22aji
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 28, 2023
It’s not just all in the name of Handré Pollard:
Handré Pollard: kicking perfection
v Tonga – 4 from 4
v France – 2 from 2
v England – 3 from 3
v New Zealand – 4 from 4
#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/oY8gncX9mc
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 29, 2023
Kolisi, who became the second captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, has constantly spoken about playing for the people in South Africa and that was evident in his post-match interview:
“We wanted to play for something far bigger than us”@Springboks captain Siya Kolisi reflects on their World Cup win at the #WorldRugbyAwards pic.twitter.com/KzDPc3iSyB
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) October 29, 2023
Our pride is beaming:
South Africa survive a 14-man All Black onslaught to survive in the RWC’s ugliest final
No team has ever taken a tougher route to a RWC title, playing the world’s Nos 1 & 5 in pool, winning the QF, SF & final by a point each v Fra, Eng & NZ
Their mentality is bullet-proof
— Rúaidhrí O’Connor (@RuaidhriOC) October 28, 2023
Through all the fire & fury, the hard days, the sweat, blood, & tears, the @Springboks have once again made us believe in something greater.
Your victory rings far beyond the field. Again, you have united us as a nation, given us a foundation to make that unity last more than /1
— SA Deaf Rugby (@SADeafRugby) October 28, 2023
The Springbok squad will arrive back in South Africa with the Webb Ellis Cup in their luggage from France at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg 10:55AM tomorrow, 31 October. So get your posters ready if you want to be a part of the welcoming crowd.
The Boks will then embark on a four-day Trophy Tour to major regional population centres 48 hours later.
The tour will start in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto – concluding at FNB Stadium – on Thursday, 2 November, and take in Cape Town (Friday, 3 November) and Durban (Saturday, 4 November) before concluding in the Eastern Cape (East London) on Sunday, 5 November.
This is South Africa, better together:
History#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/r2bdQE10kW
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 28, 2023
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