Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has thanked South Africans from all walks of life for coming out in their hundreds of thousands to congratulate the Boks on winning the Rugby World Cup in the last week.
The Springboks concluded their trophy tour in Cape Town on Monday after earlier parading the Web Ellis Trophy through the streets of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth.
"The last week has probably been one of the best of my life and I speak on behalf of all my team-mates and management when I say that the support we've received has been nothing but remarkable and unbelievable," said Kolisi.
"The celebrations in Tokyo, with President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Prince Harry in attendance, were very special, but nothing could prepare us for what was waiting back here in South Africa."
SA Rugby has meanwhile apologised for route changes in Durban and Port Elizabeth, which meant some supporters did not see the Springbok parade.
Last-minute congestion and other logistical complications led local authorities to change the planned route of the Springbok bus in Durban on Friday, and through some of the northern areas of PE on Sunday.
"To the supporters in Durban and Port Elizabeth who we missed on the routes, we're as disappointed as you, but unfortunately the last-minute route changes advised by local authorities were unavoidable," said SA Rugby President Mark Alexander.
"The same applies to the many other areas in South Africa we could not reach on this Trophy Tour," he added. SA Rugby is planning smaller trophy visits to other South African provinces, but no timelines are currently available.
