South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to fly to Paris before Sunday’s much-anticipated Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand at the Stade de France.

The last time the Boks faced off against the All Blacks in a World Cup final was in 1995 when iconic South African President Nelson Mandela handed captain Francois Pienaar the Webb Ellis Cup.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed yesterday that Ramaphosa will travel to France and also share “words of encouragement” with the Springboks.

This will be the second consecutive occasion that Ramaphosa is in attendance at a Rugby World Cup final involving the Springboks following their victory over Eddie Jones’ England in the 2019 final in Yokohama.

Earlier this month, Ramaphosa joked that he would consider granting a public holiday to the nation if the Boks go on to win a historic fourth World Cup title.

The Springboks and the All Blacks have met on five previous occasions at a Rugby World Cup.

The Boks won the first two encounters (the final in 1995 and the third-place playoff in 1999) and New Zealand won the other three (the quarter-final in 2003, the semi-final in 2015, and the pool match in 2019).

To date, the Springboks have never lost a World Cup final.

The Springboks will take on the All Blacks in the RWC final at 7am Sunday.

Source: News24