'It's a dream come true' for Smit

Match reaction: The English players having received their runners-up medals from the outgoing IRB president, Syd Millar, like boys collecting their rations at school lunchtime, there was one lovely moment as John Smit looked back across the Springboks' squad to the last man on the podium, Jake White.

Smit smiled and pointed to his coach. A remarkable 12-year association as captain and coach, which became an unbreakable partnership for the last four years, had reached its promised land. The look said it all. Words weren't possible, but they weren't necessary either.

Putting their achievement into words in the aftermath of conquering the planet was next to impossible. "I must thank my coach," said a smiling Smit at the post-match press conference after midnight. "His words the first time (he spoke to the squad) four years ago, he told us, 'We are going to win the World Cup', and he's no liar."

Smit admitted the magnitude of their achievement had still to sink in, all the more so as the reference point was the achievement of Francois Pienaar a dozen years before at Ellis Park, which had been crowned by perhaps the most indelible image (politically, socially and culturally) any World Cup could ever throw up when Nelson Mandela, wearing that replica number six jersey, accepted the trophy with the Springboks' captain.

"Twelve years ago I sat watching Os (du Randt) and his mates do a similar thing at Ellis Park and I wondered if this could be possible. It's a dream come true. I can't put it into words. Four years of really difficult experiences. We've had the responsibility of carrying the nation's hopes on our shoulders and now we are carrying the trophy back to them."

Seeking to replicate that image as a means of maximising whatever unifying effect this latest triumph might possess, the Springboks players lifted their president, Thabo Mbeki, shoulder high with the trophy aloft.

"I remember watching Clive Woodward speaking in Australia when the final whistle went," said White, who, ironically, makes more of his friendship with England's World Cup-winning coach than any English rugby person does.

"What do you say when you win a World Cup? It's an unbelievable experience so far. To see the president of our country holding the World Cup is something to be proud of. It doesn't get bigger than that in the context of where we have come from."

Passing the baton on to South Africa's football team when they host the 2010 World Cup, White expressed the hope that the winning feeling can be transposed to them. Called home to withstand attempts to sack him during their November tour last year, pilloried for again resting his frontliners from this year's Tri-Nations, White and his methods have been entirely vindicated.

"In 1995 and again, people ask why we take the World Cup so seriously," explained White. "It's much bigger than any other event; what it did to us as a nation. We've now won a World Cup away from home. We had our president sitting in the changing-room. He was saying how proud he was of being a South African."

As for the final, White had the winning feeling from about 20 minutes out. "We were defending so well. We never really felt they were asking question of our lineout. I know we missed one or two tackles.

"We were two scores ahead with 20 minutes to go. Obviously I realised they were going to have to chase it. Those are the things you practise in four years, having to shut games off. We have lost games we shouldn't have. It's got nothing to do with six weeks of rugby; it's to do with four years keeping everyone on the field."

England coach Brian Ashton admitted they were "bitterly, bitterly disappointed we didn't win the game. We fully believed we could win it. There were times on the field when we believed we could win it, though we couldn't get up on the scoreboard."

But he took the defeat on the chin. "Congratulations to South Africa, they were the best team in the tournament. I think there were times tonight when we didn't execute things well enough.

"I don't think 15-6 on the scoreboard reflects the difference between the sides.

"We didn't do well enough to get out of our 40-metre zone.

"But you cannot argue with the scoreboard. South Africa won and congratulations to them."