Pride for South Africans as Springboks arrive

Vasti da Silva said South African's "eat, dream, sleep, breath and bleed green and gold"

South Africans living in Jersey have said they are excited for a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to witness their world champion rugby team train on the island.

The national team, also known as the Springboks, arrived on Sunday for a week of training at the Jersey Rugby Club.

They will be hosting an open training session at 10:30 GMT on Saturday, with a youth camp scheduled to take place from Tuesday to Thursday.

Vasti da Silva, originally from Hermanus in South Africa and now living in St Helier, said the Springboks were "more than just a team".

She said: "We eat, dream, sleep, breath and bleed green and gold.

"This phenomenal team is the first team to properly represent South Africa - we are a rainbow nation."

Ms da Silva said the team coming to Jersey was "beyond anything I could ever have hoped for".

"It gives me a once in a lifetime opportunity to see them train and hopefully interact with them," she said.

'A privilege'

Deborah Broughton, from Dunlop in South Africa, said it was "an honour to have our national rugby team in Jersey" and that it would be "a privilege to watch them training".

She added that she would be looking out for Captain Siya Kolisi "as he went to Grey High School, the same as my son" and that she had "happy memories serving him in the tuck shop".

Mike Gratz, from Johannesburg and now living in St Clement, said the Springboks were "a vision and hope for South Africa, to show the rest of the world and South Africans what we are capable of together".

Shane Wridgway said rugby "embodies hope, resilience, and pride" for South Africans

Shane Wridgway, who is from Johannesburg and now lives in St Saviour, said he had been a supporter of rugby from a young age.

He said: "As a true Springbok supporter, my passion for rugby began when I was just 10-years-old, watching South Africa lift the Webb Ellis Cup in 1995.

"That unforgettable moment wasn’t just about victory - it was about unity."

Mr Wridgway said rugby had the power to "unite people in a way that little else does".

He said: "For South Africans, rugby embodies hope, resilience, and pride - it’s something we carry with us everywhere whether we’re at home or far away, we sleep, breathe, and live the green and gold.

"To me, rugby isn’t just a sport - it’s the heartbeat of our nation, a reminder that we’re always stronger together."