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Thousands brave rain to cheer 'Boks victory parade

Fans celebrate on Friday as the Springboks take part in a public parade in the streets of Pretoria, South Africa, to celebrate their Rugby World Cup victory in France. PHOTO: AFP

Thousands of Springbok rugby fans braved pouring rain in South Africa on Friday as they spilled onto the streets to cheer the team on the first leg of a nationwide World Cup victory parade.

Jubilant fans followed the team in their open-top bus, roaring as the Webb Ellis Cup was held aloft by skipper John Smit and his team-mates.

Office workers crowded the windows of buildings in Pretoria and Johannesburg to catch a glimpse of the procession while others grabbed late lunch breaks to salute the heroes of last Saturday's final in Paris against England.

Bryan Habana, who equalled the record number of tries scored at the finals, said the reception from the supporters "has been amazing."

"It's a big, big knock to all of us how people have come together and are cheering us in the streets, people from all sections of life," he said.

Habana welcomed the U-turn earlier in the day by SA Rugby which announced that the 'Boks would tour the township of Soweto yesterday after earlier ruling it out.

Habana said the team's visit to Soweto, the largest black township in the country, would be an opportunity to inspire youngsters in disadvantaged communities.

"People who are disadvantaged don't always have the opportunity to drive in to the cities to see us," Habana said.

"Everybody deserves to have a glimpse of us ... Hopefully we will be [an] inspiration for youngsters to do the same [become heroes] for their country," he said.
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