There was always going to be a sense of history in the air for the Springboks, as they climbed the podium in Yokohama and lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in front of a roaring crowd.

After all, their third Rugby World Cup crown — achieved by beating favourites England 32-12 in Saturday evening's final — saw them equal New Zealand for most tournament wins and they became the first side to be crowned champions after earlier losing a pool match.

But the significance of their victory will be felt far beyond the record books.

Siya Kolisi wants the Springboks' World Cup win to unite the South African people. ( AP: Christophe Ena )

As captain Siya Kolisi pointed out, being crowned world champions has the potential to unite South Africa in the same way it did when the Springboks won their first title on home soil in 1995.

"Since I have been alive I have not seen South Africa like this," Kolisi said after the final.

"It was like in '95. So many challenges we have [in South Africa]. The coach [Rassie Erasmus] told us we are not playing for ourselves, we are playing for the people back home."

South Africa's captain and coach both spoke about the unifying power of sport. ( AP: Jerome Delay )

Kolisi had just turned four when the Springboks beat the All Blacks to win the 1995 World Cup final at Johannesburg's Ellis Park.

It was a triumph made famous when Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first post-apartheid president, attended the match wearing then-captain Francois Pienaar's number six jersey.

Kolisi also wore six on his back in the Yokohama final, as he became the first black Springboks captain to lead his side to World Cup success.

Mandela's gesture from 24 years ago was honoured by South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, who proudly wore a replica of Kolisi's jersey as he cheered on his team in Yokohama.

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Kolisi's story is remarkable, as he grew up in a poverty-stricken township outside Port Elizabeth before earning a scholarship to the renowned Grey High School, which set him on the path to a professional rugby career.

Now a veteran of 49 Tests, he felt South Africa could take inspiration from how the Springboks overcame the challenge of England, who were heavily favoured to win the final.

"We are really proud as South Africans," said Kolisi, who celebrated with his children on the field in Yokohama following the final.

"Not many people gave us a chance. We had to believe in each other and our plan. We love you, South Africa, and we can achieve anything if we work together."

The Springboks now have three World Cup titles. ( AP: Aaron Favila )

Erasmus, who is set to step down as Springboks coach, echoed Kolisi's sentiments.

"We had the privilege of giving people hope, not the burden of giving people hope," he said.

Springboks number eight Duane Vermeulen, who was named man of the match, was also moved by how much the World Cup win would mean to South Africans.

"We are doing it for each other, but also for 57 million people back home in South Africa," he said.

England 'will be kicking stones'

As the Springboks celebrated a much-deserved victory, England was left to lament what might have been.

Eddie Jones's men were expected to win on the back of their convincing semi-final victory over the All Blacks, yet they failed to find any rhythm against the Springboks, who never fell behind their opponents on the scoreboard.

England will have to wait another four years for the chance to enjoy World Cup glory. ( AP: Eugene Hoshiko )

England could not score a try against a rock-solid Springboks defence, while it was made to pay for ill discipline at crucial moments with Handre Pollard landing six penalty goals for the victors.

"We thought our preparation was good, but this happens sometimes and it isn't a good day for it to happen," Jones said.

"You can have the most investigative debrief of your game but they were too good for us on the day."

The scrum was an issue for the English and they did not enjoy the domination of the breakdown that they had against the All Blacks.

"We stayed in the fight and were in with a chance but for some reason South Africa were too strong for us," Jones said.

The defeat was Jones's second in a World Cup final, as he suffered the same fate when in charge of the Wallabies in the 2003 decider against England in Sydney.

Eddie Jones was left disappointed, 16 years after losing in the 2003 final. ( AP: Eugene Hoshiko )

He admitted England had fallen short of its ambition in Japan, despite such promising signs in the build-up to the final.

"We didn't meet our goal of being the best team in the world, but we are the second-best team in the world and that is how we should be remembered," he said.

"We will be kicking stones for four years now and that's hard."

Jones, however, joked that he and his players had a more immediate goal in mind.

The only thing we're worried about now is having a few beers, then probably a few beers tomorrow and then probably a few more on Monday," he said.

"Then we'll pull up stumps."