South Africa has welcomed its team, the Springboks back home after winning the 2023 World Rugby Championship at the Stade de France on Saturday night.
The South African team the Springbok after this win which counted as the fourth times, made a milestone as never in the history of the Rugby World Cup has any team lifted the trophy on four occasions.
The President, Cyril Ramaphosa in his remark said this is win has lifted the spirits of an entire nation and filled the nation with pride adding that over the past eight weeks the country has been a sea of green and gold.
He said, “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.
“Most of you are already household names: Siya, Cheslin, Faf, Handré, RG, Duane. We have some new ones now: Makazole, Ox and our very own Elizabedi!
“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.
“And yet I want to say that the event of last Saturday, this week, today and the next, is about celebrating the glory of Springboks. Glory that did not come easy and glory that is richly deserved.
Ramaphosa noted that the Springbok’s four championships have all taken place in the years since South Africa became a democracy. “As Siya has said in the interviews, many of the players on this team have had to overcome significant obstacles to get here.
“You said, Siya, that as a young black child growing up in Zwide you never dreamed you would become a professional rugby player or end up captaining the national team. You, 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”, he said.
South African leader acknowledged the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the South African Rugby Union, SA Rugby, sponsors and partners, and all the stakeholders in the rugby fraternity who are working to promote excellence in the sport.
He said, “Your support for the Springboks and for the various provincial associations and leagues will continue to go a long way as we prepare the next generation of exceptional sportsmen and women.
“A nation of free and equal people. That is the vision we laid out in 1994, and one that we will continue to strive towards realising.
“The Springboks are a potent symbol of just how far we have come as a people. That is why you have been so warmly embraced by South Africans of all races as their own”, Ramaphosa concluded.
