Johannesburg — THE small crowd that welcomed back the Springboks at OR Tambo International on Monday may have dampened what should have been a fantastic occasion to celebrate their Tri-Nations victory. But the presence of President Jacob Zuma transformed what was at risk of being a flop of an event into a heroes' welcome.

Unlike ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, who turned Caster Semenya's return from the world championships into a political rally, Zuma embraced the Springboks and spoke to them as a passionate rugby supporter would.

While most speeches are written for SA's leaders, Zuma's sounded more like something from the heart, and any doubts about this were erased when he tried to imitate fullback Frans Steyn's long-range penalty kicks.

It was evident the president had watched the match and that the Tri-Nations victory had great significance for him and the country as a whole.

He was so excited to see Steyn, he hugged the player and had a long chat while the rest of the team waited in anticipation for the formalities to begin.

What impressed me even more was the president's keen interest in the 2011 Rugby World Cup and his prediction that the team would defend their world champions' title successfully.

There's no doubt that the government was under pressure to welcome back the Boks, especially after the high-profile welcome Semenya and her athletics team-mates received last month.

But Zuma's visit appeared to be genuine sentiment more than a move to avoid a public outcry.

This welcome followed a visit to the Bulls change rooms on the eve of the Super 14 final at Loftus Versfeld to wish the players good luck.

Malema, meanwhile, who had so much to say about the poor showing by white citizens at the airport to welcome back Semenya , conveniently had to attend a meeting in Bloemfontein and claimed he could not make a public appearance at the airport.

I understand that he had work to do. But if he was committed to making a difference in terms of the public's support for sport events, he should have led by example and postponed his meeting.

And by the way, Julius, where were all the people of colour to welcome the Boks?

That said, I am glad Malema didn't attend the event because his comments -- and I can picture the part where white people would be attacked once again -- would undoubtedly have spoiled what was a special moment for the team.

On a different note, it was delightful to see the Springboks lift the Tri-Nations trophy and to be able to celebrate in style with a victory lap.

Victories in New Zealand are scarce, which put the sprinkle on top of what was a magnificent series for the team and coach Peter de Villiers.

The Boks blew New Zealand away in the first half with a clinical display and if they had maintained that high standard of play in the second half, they could have thumped them.

They also shut up the New Zealanders after their chirps all week in the build-up to the game that the Bok scrum was the weak link in the team.

That may have been the case against Australia, but it seems the All Blacks forgot that they were shown up in the scrums, lineouts and at the breakdowns in their previous two encounters on the SA leg of the series.

Congratulations to John Smit and his team.

Winning five out of six games in a Tri-Nations -- two of them overseas -- is a sign of a great team and, if they keep this group together, I believe they will win the 2011 World Cup.

It's a pity the handover of the trophy in Hamilton was not as spectacular as the Springboks' series victory. The least the hosts could have done was make the Springboks feel like champions by celebrating the occasion a little more extravagantly -- especially since their last title was five years ago.

But either the economic downturn forced the sponsors to cut costs or they were blatantly disappointed that the Boks took the title, as the celebrations consisted of nothing more than handing over the trophy and a victory lap.