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.
Rugby World champions, the Springboks, began their 100km victory parade at the Union Buildings yesterday, taking off to various places to find thousands of people waiting to celebrate the historic moment with them.
With every win the Springboks secure, celebrations echo throughout the country. Despite the “end of the year exhaustion” period and the stress of exams, nothing can deter students from supporting the Boks, who take on New Zealand for the final on Saturday.