As South Africa’s players lifted Thabo Mbeki, their country’s President, on to their shoulders at the Stade de France on Saturday evening, and as he shared in the nation’s delight at a second World Cup victory, it was obvious that the Springboks had been playing more than just a game.

They wanted personal and collective sporting glory, of course, but in a way, they had been playing, too, for the future of South African rugby, one that they hope will be based on ability rather than colour and quotas. They hope what they achieved over 80 minutes makes a statement that will reverberate at home for years to come.

The momentum generated in the republic from their success and the manner in which it has again galvanised a nation may have bought the white-dominated sport time, but the reality is, change is inevitable. What will be critical is the pace at which that is introduced and managed.

“To see the President of our country holding the World Cup is something to be proud of,” Jake White, the coach, said. “It doesn’t get bigger than that in the context of where we have come from. He said how proud he was to be a South African and how proud he was of the players.”

Expert View

South Africa looked like a team who had prepared for four years, England like a team who had prepared for four weeks

Simon Barnes

• More

• Post a comment

BACKGROUND

• It’s widely known that I’m teetotal. I broke the habit on this occasion

• England take heart from brave new pretenders

• How England rated

• Miracle men suffer dose of reality

BACKGROUND

• England's future rosy, but is Ashton included?

• Toulon wait for Springboks master

• IRB aims to secure future not just for kicks

• South Africans urged to grasp chance for change

BACKGROUND

• Springboks dominate awards

• Boks on top in brutal battle

• Springbok kickers destroy England

• Ashton merits credit for glorious run

BACKGROUND

• It's over: dream dies as Boks win Rugby World cup

• Boks kill the unlikely dream

• Brave England go down with pride

• Video ref made 'brilliant decision’

BACKGROUND

• So who ate all the croissants?

• Au revoir France

• Victory whoops of the rainbow warriors

• Mrs Mills solves all your rugby problems

BACKGROUND

• English roses fall for Saint Jonny

• Stodgy England confine Bryan Habana

• Still joking about the All Blacks and Wallabies

• Wheels come off the chariot

Multimedia

• The World Cup Podcast

• Josh Lewsey's video diary

• The Rugby World Cup blog

Related Links

• Victory whoops of the rainbow warriors

White and John Smit, the captain, will hope that such a statement indicates that Mbeki will back evolution rather than revolution. Neither, however, will find out in their present positions. White’s four-year tenure ends on December 31 after a final fling in Wales and against the Barbarians. He confirmed that he had not reapplied for his job, which had been advertised last week. Smit is joining Clermont Auvergne, a move that will likely deny him the chance of playing international rugby again.

White, who has been determined to leave on his own terms and expressed a desire to continue as an international coach, alluded to the opportunity that victory will provide South Africa. “It is a second chance,” he said of a World Cup final win that came 12 years after their first. “South African rugby and South Africa as a nation get a hell of a second opportunity and, hopefully, we will take it.”

Smit echoed those sentiments. “We are a colourful country of diverse cultures, of 11 different languages,” he said. “I hope that being able to take the World Cup back home will create a scenario that everyone can buy into; that we can start forgetting about counting numbers and colours. Two of the most important people in my life over the past weeks have been Bryan Habana and J. P. Pietersen. There is no colour in our squad. There is one team. That shows how far we have come as a country. It is a great step forward for us. It will be great to celebrate with 45 million South Africans when we get home.” He hopes, too, that the feel-good factor will spill over to the 2010 football World Cup, which South Africa is hosting.

The Government’s desire to implement change, to make rugby reflect the demographics of the country, is unshakeable, even accounting for the national team’s run of 109 internationals, dating back to 1999, since they last fielded an all-white side. The Sports and Recreation Amendment Act was passed by Parliament this summer, giving the Sports Minister, Makhenkesi Stofile, unspecified but wide-ranging powers. If he believes that a sport is “failing to deliver on the nation’s expectations on transformation”, he could in theory select a team.

Stofile congratulated the team yesterday for showing “distinction and commitment”, but added: “This victory should herald a new era, an era in which we all embrace change and tackle the challenges still being faced by our rugby and sport in general.

“Our victory during the 1995 World Cup offered us a window to see what South Africa can be. We did not build on that. May we not commit the same error after this second chance.”