The Springboks continue to rack up achievement after achievement, having just retained the Rugby Championship back-to-back for the first time in their history.
Last year, South Africa celebrated winning the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019, and the Freedom Cup (against New Zealand), while also retaining the Prince William Cup (against Wales), the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate (against Australia) and the Qatar Airways Cup.
These trophies boosted an already impressive trophy cabinet, which includes four Webb Ellis Cups and the last two British & Irish Lions Series trophies (2009 and 2021), amongst others.
This year, the Springboks have also retained the Freedom Cup, Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate and the Qatar Airways Cup (albeit against the Barbarians).
It all adds to an incredible period of success, with Rassie Erasmus and Siya Kolisi having led the team through an unprecedented golden era.
So much to celebrate for Springboks
This past weekend, the Springboks clinched their second southern hemisphere title in a row for the first time following a nail-biting 29-27 victory against a determined Argentinean outfit in London on Saturday, which marked their second victory against the Pumas in a row.
The result was enough to seal the the title despite the All Blacks registering a bonus-point 28-14 victory against Australia in their final match, which saw the teams finish the competition tied on 19 log points.
“It’s a bit surreal, to be honest – I don’t know how to express it,” said Malcolm Marx, who scored a second-half brace to help the Boks to the win.
“I’m just extremely grateful for everything that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, the lessons learned, and the victories we registered.
“It will probably sink in over the next couple of days what we achieved, but that said, there’s still a lot of hard work ahead. There are still lots of aspects we can get better at.
“I’m lost for words. I’m extremely grateful for the support from the fans that came out from far and wide, no matter where we played. They supported us all the way, and that’s special for the team and coaching staff.
Five-match end-of-year tour awaits
A group of players will depart for South Africa on Sunday and will arrive at home on Monday, while several others have joined their respective clubs and provincial unions.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is set to announce his squad for their five-match November tour before the squad reassembles later in October.
