Thousands greet victorious Boks
President Thabo Mbeki and Springboks captain John Smit
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Tuesday, 23, Oct 2007 11:57
South Africa's Rugby World Cup-winning team have arrived back home to a massive welcoming party.
The Springboks stepped off the plane at Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo International Airport to be met by thousands of jubilant fans.
Captain John Smit, who emerged first from the aircraft carrying the Webb Ellis trophy, said the scale of the reception was somewhat unexpected.
"We expected it to be pretty busy at the airport but this has gone far beyond anything we imagined," he said.
"We're just happy that we have brought the trophy back where it belongs, with the people of South Africa.
"I don't want to let go of it, I want to hold on to this trophy as long as I can."
South Africa won the trophy after beating defending champions England 15-6 in the final in Paris on Saturday, and they will go through a similar programme of events as Sir Clive Woodward's men four years ago.
An open-top bus tour of Johannesburg and Soweto has already been scheduled and the whole squad will also attend a reception with president Thabo Mbeki.
The victory has been hailed as a major step towards uniting a nation with underlying and deep-set racial divisions.
The squad's selection was somewhat controversial after only six black players were named in the original squad, and only two of those - wingers JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana - played any major part in the first XV.
England's starting XV contained as many black players as South Africa's, with Jason Robinson at full-back and Paul Sackey on the wing.