At Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, throngs of people greeted the crew as heroes when they arrived on Tuesday morning.
On social media, players have been posting videos of their travels and festivities. Lock RG Snyman, in particular, has been known to get into all kinds of trouble.
Fresh hair cuts
Lock Eben Etzebeth was Snyman’s first target during the festivities. The Munster second rower brought up a chat they had on the squad bus a few weeks prior.
When Etzebeth returned to South Africa with a new haircut, he remarked, “So it was about five weeks ago, me and RG Snyman spoke on the bus, and I said if we win the World Cup, I’ll cut my hair the same as yours.”
“Obviously, it was around half past four in the morning after the final victory, and we weren’t drinking water at that point in the game when I last had a drink.
“He just reminded me of my bet, and obviously, I wanted to be a man of my word, and I mean winning this Cup with these guys, I’ll do anything.
“So just decided to cut my hair and he sat me down and Damian Willemse cut my hair. I have got a few compliments from all my friends, and my wife says it isn’t too bad; as long as she’s happy, I’m happy.
However, the haircuts haven’t stopped there with Snyman – whose name translates to ‘cutter’ from Afrikaans – managed to convince scrum-half Cobus Reinach and Willemse to get a new trim as well with all getting the same cut as Snyman.
“Someone needs to take away those clippers from RG Snyman,” one fan joked on X, formerly Twitter.
New ink
In addition, the Springboks have not spent any time in updating their ink in honor of their triumph.
Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx, Snyman, Franco Mostert, and other celebrities got “Bomb Squad” tattoos in 2019. However, this time, the design was a little more complex, with athletes receiving the William Webb Ellis Cup with the years 2019 and 2023 printed beneath.
Following their arrival, tattoo artists made their way to the Springboks hotel, where celebrities such Canan Moodie, Willemse, Snyman, and captain Siya Kolisi were seen receiving fresh tattoos.
