Sidestepping through the crowd, late for the pinnacle Webb Ellis Cup lift by Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, reporters Rosa-Karoo Loewe and Tammy Fray were lost. In the blazing heat of Sunday afternoon, black Clear View fencing separated screaming fans from the stage erected outside the East London City Hall, and the sweating, frenzied Daily Dispatch and GO! & Express journalists were on the wrong side.
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.