Official Man of the Match in Saturday’s 32-12 World Cup final win over England, Duane Vermeulen, says consistency ultimately won them the big prize.
Vermeulen played a big match, carrying the ball well, making big hits and also catching every single high ball that came his way.
But the 33-year-old, who couldn’t hold back his tears after the final whistle blew, says it wasn’t about him.
Vermeulen explains: “We were doing it for each other, but also for 57 million people back home in South Africa.
“We wanted to be consistent as a team. We wanted to create hope in the end and hopefully we achieved that.”
HISTORY BOY: First try-scorer Makazole Mapimpi. Picture: Peter Cziborra/Reuters.
Meanwhile, scorer of South Africa’s first ever try in a World Cup final, Makazole Mapimpi, says he never thought he’d lift the World Cup.
A strong contender for Man of the Match as well, Mapimpi says: “I never thought I’d have a gold medal.
“I think back to 2015 when I was playing for Border. I was watching the game back at home.
“I was watching [Bryan] Habana. I never thought the day would come that I would play in the next World Cup.”