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          Rugby World Cup final: Prince Harry, Federer lead social media praise for Springboks

          Springboks captain Siya Kolisi lifts the Rugby World Cup. Clive Rose - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images
          • ESPN
          Nov 2, 2019, 12:25 PM

          Roger Federer may represent Switzerland when it comes to tennis, but the legend of that game could not hide his roots when it came to the Rugby World Cup final, tweeting his praise for the Springboks' victory.

          The Boks beat England 32-12 in Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday, pulling away in the second half thanks to two top-class tries on the wings, and Federer's South African parentage raised its head as the final whistle blew.

          The eight-time Wimbledon champion, whose mother is from Johannesburg, tweeted: "Maximum respect for all Rugby players, amazing toughness and fairness. South Africa, you did it! World Cup Champions, wow! I am incredibly happy!"

          The other kind of royalty, the actual kind, also joined in as Prince Harry, on location, congratulated South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as the players, and took photos with a few shell-shocked rugger players.

          Federer was not the only tennis player enthused by the result, as South Africa's lone star on the circuit, Kevin Anderson, added his voice to the chorus: "Such a proud moment in history for @bokrugby, @siya_kolisi_the_bear and all South Africans #StrongerTogether #rwc2019"

          England's sportspeople were gracious in defeat, with former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and former England footballer Ian Wright both commenting on the captaincy and inspirational story of Siya Kolisi, the first black player to captain the SA Test side.

          Former New Zealand All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams, who is married to a South African, kept himself in the missus' good books by congratulating the Boks, despite the All Blacks' disappointing (or disastrous, depending on the media coverage you follow) third place.

          Olympic gold medalist sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, who will be hoping to run at the Olympics in Tokyo next year and claim another title for South Africa on Japanese soil, praised winger Cheslin Kolbe. The speedster's try was a thing of magic to seal the game, and Van Niekerk was suitably impressed.

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          They told you, you can't!!!

          A post shared by Wayde van Niekerk (@waydedreamer) on

          But the final word should go to the Springboks, and captain Siya Kolisi.