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.
In a high-stakes showdown set to grip the nation, millions of fervent South Africans will be fixated on their television screens on Saturday night, as the Springboks go head-to-head with the formidable All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris.