South Africa won a record fourth Rugby World Cup, beating New Zealand by one point in a dramatic final.
Less than 24 hours later, the awards ceremony took place at the Opera Garnier in Paris. No doubt celebrating their victory until the early hours of the morning, some Springboks were left sore on Sunday night.
Ardi Savea won the Player of the Year award and Andy Farrell won the Coach of the Year award. World Rugby also named their Dream XV, with South African star Eben Etzebeth being the only Bok to make the squad.
Presenter Hugo Monnier asked Locke, who was also nominated for player of the year, how important the previous night was. The Sharks second rower said: “You can see what my hair looks like thanks to RG Snyman today at 5am. Thank you for that!”
Etzebeth, who usually has very long hair, appeared to have completely shaved the sides of her top, leaving a mohawk style reminiscent of Snyman’s iconic ‘Viking’ haircut.
Watch the clip below.
The next day, ironically, on his 32nd birthday, Etzebet revealed that he and his wife, Anlia, were expecting a child. The Instagram post was captioned: “BLESSINGS after BLESSINGS!”
Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer posed with RG Snyman, Etzebeth and Kolisi for a post-match photo shoot. Federer was also photographed in the dressing room with Jesse Creel after the match at the Stade de France.
(Image: Adam Pretty – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Scrum-half Faf de Klerk was captured with his iconic budgie friends holding the Webb Ellis Cup, doing the same thing he did four years ago.
(Image: Adam Pretty – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Snyman was photographed holding the trophy while putting on a pair of ski goggles on Sunday morning, apparently still reluctant to go after shaving Etzebeth’s head at 5am. Willie le Roux was at the first door drinking a beer, also wearing ski goggles and a mug in his hand. The utility also posted an image of him and Franco Mostert holding the coveted trophy in 2019 and 2023 respectively.
Hooker Bongi Mbonambi, who was injured in the final after two minutes, was filmed singing with the team on the coach after the awards ceremony. Luhanyo Am, who missed the World Cup due to injury, enjoyed the celebrations with his teammates.
Source: Wales Online
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
