Fans find beauty in the beast

[caption id="attachment_37279" align="alignright" width="405"] CROUCH, BIND, SET: Springbok prop Tendai Mtawarira, more affectionately known as 'Beast', meets some fans at the Port Elizabeth Airport yesterday after the squad arrived for Saturday's test against Scotland at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Picture: FREDLIN ADRIAAN[/caption]

THE Springbok and Scotland rugby teams were welcomed by a small group of avid fans on their arrival in Port Elizabeth yesterday ahead of the test match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

The teams were greeted at the airport by marimba bands and representatives from Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, while excited children from the Eastern Province Child and Youth Care Centre were also able to shake hands with their sports heroes.

Some of the players stopped to sign autographs before boarding two separate coaches transporting them to their hotels.

The Scottish team appeared to be in good spirits, with some players stopping to get their faces painted by staff from African Drum and dancing along to marimba music before boarding their bus. - Lee-Anne Butler