Geeks don’t watch sport, they say. Nor do we love rugby. Yeah right. After Saturday night’s historic win in the World Cup final in Paris, we’re all Springbok fans.
And the internet is filled with patriotic and funny memes celebrating the 12-11 victory – as well as endless video clips of the remarkable moments that we’ve seen in this event where the Springboks held on to win by a single point in their last three games.
Inspirational captain Siya Kolisi has united his team and our country in a way that only Francois Pienaar and Nelson Mandela did after the 1995 victory.
“Once we come together nothing can stop us, not just in sport but also in life,” Kolisi said after holding on against the All Blacks.
Read more: TV is an app. Rugby is real life
Kolisi played like a machine, as did the rest of his players – especially flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, who was named man of the match after playing the best game of his career.
Ever the diplomat, Kolisi said: “I can’t always explain how I feel because you have to be South African to see, feel, and experience the things we do.
“You have to be South African because we live in a beautiful country with a lot of problems, but once we come together for a common goal, nothing can stop us as country. And it’s not just in sports,” said Kolisi, who is both the first Springbok captain to win back-to-back World Cups.
“We’re not saying we’re going to win all the time, but we’ll give it everything.”
The humility of a true champion 💚#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/I22s3Jj0tR
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 29, 2023
Let’s not forget how wild the internet went for Manie Libbok’s no-look kick pass and Cheslin Kolbe;’s charge down. Both became viral stars – but not nearly as controversially as England flanker Tom Curry, who seemingly misunderstood stand-in captain Bongi Mbonambi’s Afrikaans warning about “wyd kant” or “wit kant”.
Read more: Tom Curry isn’t a “c**t” – he just can’t understand Afrikaans
Although President Cyril Ramaphosa’s joking promise to declare a public holiday if the Boks won hasn’t materialised – as may be obvious given that you’re probably reading this at work – his government also picked up Mbonambi’s comment. The Presidency announced that the famous William “Webb Ellis [trophy] is in South Africa’s kant!!”.
Dynamic scrumhalf Faf de Klerk was obviously celebrating afterwards in his SA flag speedo.
Four years apart, reckon they’ve been washed?👀#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/P523y4ZwU1
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 28, 2023
Then there’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus downing a beer> to the Ireland team’s unofficial anthem, The Cranberries’ Zombie. SA-born Princess Charlene of Monaco, herself an Olympic swimmer, looks on – but does not join tennis great Roger Federer in sharing a beer with Faf de Klerk.
Zombie: the Rassie version 😂#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/84ruh7vf29
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 28, 2023
Read more: How Cheslin Kolbe became the internet’s new viral star
Watch Trevor Nyakane dance:
Simply iconic#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/SoAGJCW5v1
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 28, 2023
Watch Pieter-Steph du Toit tackle everything:
Clinical.
Pieter-Steph du Toit 👏#RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/CKTaokDzPV
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 29, 2023
