Arrests made after SA Rugby HQ robbery following World Cup win

Jared Wright
Screenshots of SARU House being robbed and a picture of the William Webb Ellis Cup.

Screenshots of SARU House being robbed and a picture of the William Webb Ellis Cup.

South African police have taken two suspects in for questioning in connection with the burglary at SA Rugby Union offices this week.

Two men broke into SARU House in Plattekloof, Cape Town and stole Springboks memorabilia on Monday night.

Two men break into SA Rugby HQ

Video footage of the break-in went viral on social media, with the two burglars stealing Springbok jerseys, whisky and eight SARU laptops, with a further 60 laptops stolen from another company.

Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee shared footage and images of the incident on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

The two men are seen walking around the offices, and one even handles a trophy, confirmed to be a replica of the William Webb Ellis Cup, before rifling through a cupboard.

SARU confirmed that the real Webb Ellis Cup or any other trophies were not stolen, with SA Rugby director Rassie Erasmus even posting a picture of his dog Frank with rugby’s most prized trophy.

While the robbery occurred in the Western Cape, two suspects have been arrested in Gauteng.

“As part of the elaborate investigation that extends beyond the borders of the Western Cape, two suspects have been apprehended in Gauteng and are being questioned with a view to apprehending the perpetrators of the act,” Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said, adding that the Serious Violent Crimes Unit detectives had been hard at work pursuing several leads.

“Once charged, the pair will make a court appearance in Cape Town.”

This comes less than a month after the Springboks defeated New Zealand 12-11 in the Rugby World Cup final, clinching their fourth title.

SARU House holds three other replicas of the William Webb Ellis Cup, seen in a recent social media post from the Springboks.

Captain Siya Kolisi was shown delivering the real Cup to SARU’s headquarters and placing it in the trophy cabinet.

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