SOUTH Africa are the Rugby World Cup champions.
For one restaurant in Northwich, the moment the final whistle blew in Saturday night’s clash with New Zealand to seal the Springboks’ fourth title meant more than most.
Seats at That South African Place in Barons Quay were booked up a week in advance, a proud moment for Durban-born owners Lynika and Rayner Muller.
They said: “We knew it. We had this feeling from day one of the Rugby World Cup.
“We were fully booked a week prior to the final! The atmosphere was incredible! The vibe was lekker!
“What's great about rugby is that you can sit side by side with other supporters, and regardless of who wins, we can all celebrate our teams.
“Rugby is a gentleman's game. Yes, the banter is there, but seeing our restaurant filled with English, South African and yes we had Kiwi supporters, all join in and celebrate together the greatness of rugby.”
They added: “If you are not South African, you can never understand what 'World Cup Springboks' means to South Africa.
“It's bigger than sport. It's always been bigger than just a sport. 65 million people backing one team.
“We are just proud. Borderline tears. Wow!”
Lynika and Rayner met at school and moved over to the UK between 2008 and 2009.
They have worked in the hospitality industry ever since, with the hope of one day opening their own business.
That dream became reality in 2018 when Rayner was made redundant, prompting him to take the jump into self-employment, at first by baking doughnuts to sell at markets.
Two years later the couple moved into Barons Quay, opening Culinary Concept.
Now more commonly known as That South African Place, the restaurant has been in World Cup fever ever since the tournament kicked off on September 8.
Lynika and Rayner got in touch with Victoria’s Art Studio to commission the biggest mural of South Africa’s captain Siya Kolisi in the captain.
He was joined on the front window by fellow Springbok stars Faf de Klerk and Kurt Lee Arendse.
“Being a Bok supporter means everything. It is in our blood,” Lynika and Rayner added.
“The quarterfinals against France we won with one point, we then met England in the semifinals and again one point!
“The finals against the All Blacks, we knew this was going to be a game of real rugby. Two of the greatest teams going head-to-head for a fourth World Cup win!”
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