Springbok euphoria swept across the two metros in the Eastern Cape this weekend when the World Cup Champions came to town.
Thousands of residents of Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay flocked to the two cities airports and later lined the streets as the 2019 Rugby World Cup Champions completed the penultimate leg of the country-wide trophy tour.
Siya Kolisi’s men touched down in East London late on Friday afternoon from Durban before conducting their tour from City Hall to various areas around Buffalo City on Saturday.
The team arrived in Nelson Mandela Bay that same afternoon ahead of their much-anticipated trophy tour through the city, home to Kolisi and assistant coach, Mzwandile Stick.
Speaking to the media ahead of the trophy tour on Sunday, Stick spoke about “never being this emotional in my life”.
He said winning the World Cup was great in Japan but it was the homecoming that saw him shed a tear for the first time when he was interviewed outside the Bok’s PE hotel by a reporter.
He said he wants to be able to inspire the young kid in the township, adding that with Kolisi and Makazole Mapimpi, who hails from a rural area of the Eastern Cape, “I want to say to him it is possible”.
Scrumhalf, Faf de Klerk, who got tongues wagging and setting somewhat of a trend with his colourful 'speedo' in the colours of the SA Flag, said: “we did not expect it to be so big”.
“Being on the bus, its magical. It’s been a long tour and the boys are tired but once you step on the bus and feel the energy from the people you just ready to go for another day.”
Bok captain Siya Kolisi, who paid a visit to his old school Grey High in the morning “to fetch my brother” spoke about how coach Rassie Erasmus told the team ahead of the final that “this is an opportunity to play for South Africa."
"We worked as hard as we could, brought all our differences together and I think that's what made us special as a team. We accepted our differences and we were honest with one another. We put the Springbok team and the country first before all of us," he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of people thronged the streets of Nelson Mandela Bay to witness the team’s triumphant tour.
From City Hall, through the city centre and then into the township areas before a stop-over in Despatch, a part of Uitenhage and then back to Port Elizabeth, a round-trip that took several hours.
However, many Bok fans in parts of Uitenhage, Port Elizabeth’s northern areas and the thousands who flocked to the Greenacres Shopping Centre were left disappointed when the trophy tour passed them by.
There was at least one unconfirmed report of people burning tyres in Standford Road in protest.
The Boks also tweeted an apology saying "massive crowds, congestion and awaiting flight to Cape Town meant an unavoidable route change".
The Springboks flew out to Cape Town late on Sunday afternoon for their trophy tour in the Mother City on Monday.
