- Burglars broke into the headquarters of the South African Rugby Union earlier this week
- They touched a replica of the Webb Ellis Trophy but did not take it with them
- Instead, they brought whiskey and signed shirts and laptops before leaving the building
Burglars broke into the South African Rugby Union headquarters on Monday, but decided to leave the World Cup trophy behind and steal several other luxury items instead.
The Springboks won a record fourth World Cup last month when they defeated New Zealand 12-11 in the final in Paris, and a replica of the Webb Ellis Trophy is now stored at their headquarters in Cape Town.
On Monday evening, shortly after 9pm, two men entered the building in an office park and CCTV showed one man had placed his gloved hands on the trophy before lifting it slightly.
But instead of taking the prized possession, they opted to steal whisky, five signed Springbok jerseys and eight laptops before leaving.
A spokesperson for the South African Rugby Union later confirmed to the BBC that the country’s trophies were all safe.
A burglar put his gloved hand on the Webb Ellis Trophy after breaking into South Africa Rugby’s headquarters on Monday evening
Instead of taking the World Cup trophy, they stole whisky, signed shirts and laptops
South Africa won the World Cup less than a month ago, but the trophy was almost stolen earlier this week
Police have now recorded two cases of business burglary following two incidents at Tygerberg Office Park in Plattekloof.
Local media have also reported that 60 laptops were stolen from another business in the same park.
The burglary comes just weeks after the country celebrated in the streets after their rugby heroes retained the World Cup.
Siya Kolisi’s men won their three knockout matches in France by one point as they proved their championship credentials on the biggest stage.
They were greeted by tens of thousands of fans in Pretoria in the days after their triumph as they took part in an open-top bus parade.
The South African rugby heroes were greeted by thousands of fans after their World Cup victory