Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments: No.22

Jon Smith celebrates with the William Webb Ellis Trophy. Photo / Getty

As the Springboks gathered to leave for the 2007 RWC in France, captain John Smit was definite about their chances of adding to the 1995 title.

They were ready to deliver on the promise Jake White made when he was appointed to coach the side. The Springboks had learned from their faults and their victories and had grown into a unified squad.

Smit made his test debut at 22 but did not cement a regular place until White was appointed in 2004 and he was promoted to be the Springboks' 50th captain. As the 2007 RWC approached, Smit was injured in the Tri-Nations but recovered for the tournament where he led his side in six of their seven matches.

His ability on the field and respect throughout the rugby world did much to guide the Springboks through the singular issues teams encounter at World Cups.

They beat Samoa, England, Tonga and the US, had some fortune getting past Fiji in the quarter-finals before they swept past the Pumas in the semifinal. England, a team they had beaten 36-0 in pool play, was their final opponent.

The Boks made hard work of winning again as they ground through a 15-6 victory, with England raising their levels and the Boks battling the pressure of favouritism and one endless TMO revision.

During the celebrations, the team carried President Thabo Mbeki around the stadium on their shoulders, while in the aftermath came issues for SARU with White demanding long-term security or he would follow Smit who signed to play in France.

Celebrations went throughout the night at the side's hotel in the south of Paris and the trophy remained unharmed as it sat in front of Smit and White at another meet-the-media conference the next day.

Smit, with stitches over his left eye, had called the partying quits four hours before.

The Webb Ellis Cup survived one fall when Bryan Habana dropped it on the way to the post-match chatfest but it was in serious need of a clean after an evening in Parisian nightclubs.