Springbok captain Siya Kolisi thanked South Africa for inspiring them to overcome the All Blacks to record a third successive nail, biting one-point victory in the playoffs on their way to a record-breaking fourth Rugby World Cup title.
“At the last World Cup the country was hopeful that maybe there was a chance we could win it and what transpired afterwards was the belief between this team," Kolisi said.
“There is not a lot of things going right in our country and we have the privilege to be able to do what we love and inspire people in life, not just sports people.
"There’s no way where I come from I could have dreamed to be here today. I couldn't even dream I could be here today. We come from different walks of life. I had my own goals and ambitions.
“I want to look after my family, I want to give back to my community because without them I wouldn’t be here. But once we come together for a common goal nothing can stop us.
“What brings us together is our country. What brings us together is the Springbok and South Africa and what drives us. I can’t explain it to you, you need to come and see South Africa to understand. Once we come together nothing can stop us, not just in sport but also in life.”
“People also from South Africa, some of our friends, they've used their savings to come and watch us."
“For me not to give my 100 per cent on the field would be cheating all those people and that's what the coaches always remind us of. The motivations for us, we don't have to look far.”
Kolisi said: "Coach Rassie [Erasmus] said great things are never achieved in ideal conditions, and this wasn't ideal conditions for us as a group. Playing the home team in their home country was one of the hardest things to do and obviously, when we played the last game against England, which was tight, we had to fight and today as well, no different.
“The motivation was everything from home and our families. The coaches created an environment for us where we could be with our families no matter where we are, it feels like we are home. There are 15 to 20 kids running around the hotel. It's one of the greatest things they could have done for us.