After the nerve-shredding 12-11 win by the Springboks – the side’s famous nickname – those day-to-day issues can be put to one side for a while as the nation basks in the afterglow of victory.
And not just any victory – but one achieved against New Zealand’s mighty All Blacks, who also went into the final aiming for a fourth World Cup triumph.
Given the serious challenges that the country and the world is facing, this win could have not come at a better time, Thabo Chauke told the Reuters news agency at a fan zone in Johannesburg.
As a country, each and everyone, we stand together. We are proud as South Africans,” another fan said.
South African sports journalist Mohammed Allie, who was in Paris for the match, said that the squad, and the nature of their hard-fought success, contained a lesson for the nation.
“If there is one thing the country can learn from this Springbok team and this victory is that how, if you work together, if you’re determined to achieve a goal, you certainly can do that,” he told the BBC.
