‘Greatest SA captain’: Mzansi hails Kolisi and Boks, waits impatiently for holiday

Proud South Africans continue to shower the Springboks with praise after the world champions defended their title with their 2023 Rugby World Cup final victory on Saturday night

As Faf de Klerk brought out his Speedo to celebrate with tennis great Roger Federer, South Africans basked in the glory of another four years of calling their team champions. 

Captain Siya Kolisi led the Boks to a gritty 12-11 win against their huge rivals the All Blacks in a nail-biting world showpiece climax at Stade de France in Paris. Afterwards Kolisi reportedly broke away from the celebration lap to climb the stands to greet his friend Federer, who holds South African citizenship through his mother Lynette.

South Africa became the first nation to win the Webb Ellis Cup four times, and joined New Zealand (who have three titles) as only the second to retain it. 

Kolisi became the only Bok skipper to lift the trophy twice, and in succession, leading to many on social media hailing him as “the greatest Bok captain of all time”. 

South Africa’s journey to this year’s trophy success saw coach Jacques Nienaber's side display remarkable fighting spirit and a never-say-die attitude. They won all three knockout matches against hosts France, England and New Zealand by a point. 

Since the victory, South African celebrities, sports people, sports clubs and ordinary citizens have been celebrating the Boks' victory on social media.

Many South Africans have been asking about the public holiday President Cyril Ramaphosa promised if the Boks won the World Cup. 

The presidency has not said anything about the matter yet, however the office issued a communiqué saying Ramaphosa will address the nation on Monday.

Here is a sample of some of the social media posts and scenes of the Boks' post-match celebrations: