While just over 1 000 Springbok rugby fans turned up at Johannesburg International Airport to welcome back the Amabokoboko, in Cape Town the mood was subdued. And the small crowd that gathered had eyes for just one man: Breyton Paulse.
What could have taken just 10 minutes for the star winger - to pick up his bag and leave the terminal - turned into more than an hour of autograph signing, posing for pictures and chatting to admiring fans. And he did not turn anyone down, and even chatted to fans' friends on their cellphones.
Amid the criticism levelled against coach Nick Mallett for omitting the fleet winger early in the Rugby World Cup, the modest Paulse said on Tuesday that it was "done in the interests of the team".
"Every player would love to play in every match of the World Cup and, although it was frustrating for me to sit on the bench watching, I understood that the team came first," he said.
And the try against New Zealand?
"Obviously a try against New Zealand is special. I was hungry to play and it was very important to win the game and automatically qualify for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. We went out to prove a point as well," Paulse said.
He said the World Cup squad had become "one big family" and added that he would hate to single out one player who did exceptionally well.
Paulse said the players would have a short break, after which they would prepare for the coming Super 12 tournament.
But though Paulse was modest, his mother, Setta Visagie, blew her son's trumpet loud enough.
"I think that if they had put him in earlier in the tournament they would have won the World Cup. Yet he is still the same after his great performance. Still modest and no swollen head.
"When he scored that try against the All Blacks I kissed the television - which almost fell and broke.
"That try was for me. We couldn't even hear the commentators for the noise in the background," she said.
Robbie Fleck, who was another bright star in the Springbok squad, said it was a happy moment to be back. "We were looking forward to the final week of the tournament.
"It was a great feeling beating the All Blacks."