Publications
Partners
There was a sea of green and gold all over Krugersdorp following the Boks’ Rugby World Cup victory over England in Japan on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the usually quiet town on Gauteng’s West Rand was a hive of activity ahead of the SA-England World Cup Final at International Stadium Yokohama.
A City Press team drove through the town on the way to watch the game with Boks fans at Silverstar Casino in Muldersdrift, north-west of the Johannesburg CBD.
The casino had set up an outdoors Bokstown where the live-screened game could be viewed on a big screen by fans.
At the venue, the atmosphere was electric.
There were seats for those who wanted to relax, while others preferred standing.
During the game, there were nail-biting moments when England attacked. Fans cheered every time a Springbok tackled an opponent.
The atmosphere changed dramatically from tension to jubilation whenever the Boks managed to quell danger.
At half-time, some Boks fans told City Press that their team needed a try to finally break England.
This was delivered by Boks winger Makazole Mapimpi in the early stages of the second half.
Load cheers and shouts of “Go, Bokke! Go, Bokke!” could be heard when the second try was scored by Cheslin Koble deep into the last 10 minutes of the game.
When French referee Jérôme Garcès blew the final whistle, fans hugged each other and the celebrations started.
The iconic song, Nkalakatha, performed by the late Mduduzi Edmund Tshabalala aka Mandoza, entertained spectators.
On the way back to the office, the City Press team witnessed car convoys along the Hendrik Potgieter road. It was probably one of the noisiest roads in Gauteng, with motorists seeming to compete for having the loudest hooter.
Others flicked their vehicles’ headlights, while passengers extended their bodies out of car windows waving Springbok-branded flags.
One delighted Boks fan, Steve Rich, said: “We’ve won it! You can see what it means to us as South Africans. You can see the unity. We are the champions of the world!”
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Msindisi FenguJournalist | City Press | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rise above the clutter | Choose your news | City Press in your inbox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City Press is an agenda-setting South African news brand that publishes across platforms. Its flagship print edition is distributed on a Sunday. |
