South Africans scream, sing and dance as Springboks return

JOHANNESBURG: Thousands of South Africans screamed with joy, danced and sang at OR Tambo airport near Johannesburg Tuesday as a first group of Springboks who won the Rugby World Cup returned home.

Forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, voted World Rugby Player of the Year two days ago, and scrum-half Faf de Klerk were among the first players to arrive.

The victorious squad, coaches and officials are scheduled to return between Tuesday and Wednesday as no airline could accommodate the entire group on one flight.

Captain Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus are among a group expected to arrive in Johannesburg later Tuesday.

A carnival atmosphere enveloped the normally sedate international arrivals section of the airport as Du Toit, De Klerk and some teammates and coaches received deafening applause.

Black and white, male and female, young, middle aged and old, low-income earners and the wealthy all descended on the airport east of Johannesburg to salute their heroes.

Many wore replica green and gold shirts and waved national flags as they celebrated the rugby triumph which was all the sweeter after poor recent results by the national football and cricket teams.

The Springboks dominated and then crushed pre-match favourites England 32-12 in Japanese city Yokohama on Saturday to lift the World Cup a record-equalling third time.

Winning the four-yearly showcase of rugby so decisively has lifted the spirits of a nation mired in economic and social quagmires.

Although boasting the most developed economy in Africa, South Africa is struggling with stagnant growth, near 30-percent unemployment and widespread poverty and inequality.

What made the Springboks´ success special was it being achieved with a team reflecting both racial groups with nine whites and six blacks in the starting line-up.

The team was captained by forward Kolisi, who last year became the first black Test captain in South African history.

Formed in 1891, the Springboks fielded only whites for 90 years before fly-half Errol Tobias became the first black player to represent his country.

Just one black, winger Chester Williams, featured in the 1995 World Cup-winning and their two wingers, JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana, in the side that conquered the world 12 years later.

Despite government pressure for the Springboks to select teams that better reflected a population that is 90 percent black, many coaches chose predominantly white teams.

Erasmus turned the tide after replacing embattled Allister Coetzee as coach last year, giving a string of black stars opportunities.

In Yokohama, there were six black starters: Kolisi, fellow forwards Tendai ´The Beast´ Mtawarira and Bongi Mbonambi, and backs Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi.

Kolbe was a candidate for the World Rugby Player of the Year award won by Du Toit and Mapimpi the second highest try scorer at the World Cup with six.