trophy back

Thousands of fans have greeted the South African rugby team as they arrived home after winning the Rugby World Cup in France on Saturday.

Springbok captain John Smit led his team out of Johannesburg airport holding aloft the Webb Ellis trophy. The Springboks lifted the coveted trophy after a 15-6 win over England. Their victory has been embraced as a symbol of unity and reconciliation in a country still trying to overcome racial tensions left by the apartheid era.

"We expected it to be pretty busy at the airport but this has gone far beyond anything we imagined," said Smit. "We're just happy that we have brought the trophy back where it belongs, with the people of South Africa."