On Monday over 600 Springbok fans were at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to welcome home the Springboks.

Among the many supporters who came from as far as Boksburg, Pretoria and Lenasia, was the South African President Jacob Zuma.

Zuma said this of the Springboks, “They make us proud… those countries that come to play them think twice before any game. I can’t remember a Boks team that beat New Zealand in succession, proving once more that indeed we are the best.”

John Smit presented President Zuma with a team blazer, which he replaced his own jacket with, and a Springbok playing jersey with the ‘number three’.

It is good times for South African rugby, and the nation is extremely proud of a great Springbok side who are fantastic role models for all South Africans.

It is also pleasing to see the humility within the squad and the desire to keep improving.

Captain John Smit said, “To have the Springboks becoming the No1 side in the world, winning the Tri-Nations and beating the British and Irish Lions gives us a huge amount of focus and momentum. But it’s important to stay humble and keep working. We have to make sure that we don’t make this the highlight of the last five years, but rather keep on going and keep these guys together. The strength of this side is that we have a good group of people, not just players. So if we keep them together and keep working, we will have a crack at the next World Cup”