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Beaming: World Cup winning coach Jake White and skipper John Smit look upon their achievement
South Africa coach Jake White hopes the World Cup victory will lift South Africa - as a nation and as team - to greater deeds, but he refused to be drawn on whether he would remain in charge of the new world champions.
White and his skipper, John Smit, addressed the press on Sunday at the team's hotel in Bercy, barely twelve hours after the Springboks defeated England 15-6 in the Final at Stade de France.
White's coaching contract is due to end on 31 December, but formal no decision has been made about his future.
While White was not giving anything away, it has been widely reported that the next Springbok coach will be black - to appease the politicians - and that he will sign off after a short end-of-year tour to Wales and England.
His comments on Sunday suggested this could be his last contribution as Bok coach.
Although he admits it would be hard to say goodbye to the team, he said he would not be making a decision until he has a chance to discuss the way forward with his bosses.
"It would be hard to hand the team over to someone else," he said.
It's nice when you're world champions and everyone's giving you accolades, but it's a lonely place when you're down.
"I look around and I think to myself so many things have changed. It's amazing how they say in politics a week is a long time, but in rugby I tell you 80 minutes is a fantastic thing.
"I've always had three goals as a coach: to win the Under-21 World Championships, to win the World Cup and to see out my contract.
"I want to break the trend and be the first Springbok coach in a while to leave on my own terms! That's now the remaining goal."
The 43-year-old admitted he had not re-applied for his post, which was advertised during the play-off stages of the World Cup.
However, White said that he would take charge of the mini-northern hemisphere tour in November and December - which consists of a Test against Wales and an international against the Barbarians.
"Just get a thick skin," replied White when asked about what a possible successor required.
The bleary-eyed pair of White and Smit confessed that they had been out on the Parisian tiles after 3am, and they bore the dazed grins of new parents as they eyed the gleaming Webb Ellis Cup sitting in front of them.
"I must be honest, it hasn't sunk in just yet," said White of South Africa's new status.
"I think it is one of those things you will only understand what's happened when you get home.
"Obviously it has been massive winning the World Cup and seeing the supporters last night and enjoying it with our families and our friends, I don't think it sinks in until a little bit later.
"We've now won a World Cup away from home. We had our president [Thabo Mbeki] sitting in the changing room. He was saying how proud he was of being a South African.
"What do you say when you win a World Cup? It's an unbelievable experience so far."
White believes South Africa's triumph in France transcends the mere realms of sport, claiming the victory as a massive boost for the Republic as a whole.
"This is much bigger than South Africa rugby," he said.
"To see our state president on the shoulders of one of the players, with the William Webb Ellis Trophy in his hands, there's no bigger statement in our country than that.
"What we need as a nation is to understand how big this is. There's no reason why South African rugby and South Africa can't take this as a huge plus and build on it.
"There's a lot we can draw from this little cup."
The new world champions leave Paris on Monday and White revealed that a nationwide series of parades is being organised in South Africa.
"Hopefully we'll be able to get the guys together and take the cup to the nation sometime towards the end of the month," said White.
"And before you guys write that this was organised before we faced England, please note that this idea only cropped up last night over beers with our sponsors!"
