The South African Springboks began Thursday, November 7, the celebration tour of their Rugby World Cup victory with a triumphal and richly symbolic parade in the black township of Soweto, a suburb of Johannesburg.
The national XV, led by the first black captain of its history Siya Kolisi, won last Saturday his third world title by winning, against all odds, against England (32-12) in the final of the tournament played at Japan.
This unexpected triumph was welcomed as a breath of fresh air in South Africa, affected by the economic crisis and the still glaring social and racial inequalities, a quarter of a century after the fall of apartheid.
Long reserved for whites only, the national rugby selection was greeted Thursday by a delirious crowd in the streets of Soweto, stronghold of the fight against the racist regime.