Many Springbok supporters are familiar with scrumhalf Faf de Klerk’s shenanigans on and off the field, however, not many have seen a similar side from the captain of the Rugby World Cup 2019 and 2023 champions, Siya Kolisi.
After beating New Zealand 12-11 at the world cup tournament in France on 28 October, the SA rugby team landed on home soil on Tuesday to begin their multi-city trophy parade.Many heartwarming and funny moments were captured during the parade, including the moment Kolisi acted like a naughty schoolboy during an address.
A video of the four-time Rugby World Cup champions’ visit at the SuperSport International headquarters at the MultiChoice City in Randburg on Wednesday, shows the Springbok flank giving his attention to a crowd of fans who had come out to see them.
While a speech is being delivered, a distracted Kolisi waves at fans who instantly erupt in excitement. The Boks captain then adjusts his sitting position, hilariously crosses his legs, before doing a “stop it, I like it” hand gesture at the crowd who laugh. He then murmurs “stop” to the crowd before alopogising for the disruption.CAPTAIN THANKS SA FOR THE SUPPORT
The Springboks embarked on a 4-day tour with the Webb Ellis Cup from Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban, and East London.
On Monday, Kolisi expressed his sincere gratitude to South Africa’s passionate rugby supporters who celebrated this feat with them.
“As a Springbok team we wanted to give South African people hope, but those who welcomed us back at OR Tambo International Airport from France, and all along the trophy tour routes and airports, gave us hope to and inspired us to keep showing that regardless of your upbringing, race, religion and background, you can achieve anything.“We said before the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand that were playing for the 60 million plus people in South Africa, and the support we witnessed first-hand on the trophy tour in the last few days was breath-taking.
“It was special to see the scenes when we arrived home after the 2019 World Cup, but this welcome was something else.
“We said we wanted to help build the nation through rugby, and with tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in all four provinces running next to the bus and cheering us on, we witnessed a united nation, and we hope we can continue to see this in society as well, ” he said.Kolisi added: “The Springboks may only return to the field next year again, but what we took from the last few days will continue to drive us as a team.
“Once again, we wish we could have visited every province and every community, but we have to return to our clubs, so it was not possible. We know, however, that in every province, we would have received the exact same support and passion.
“Thank you, South Africa. We love you.”