South Africa:There is nothing like a nation's sporting success to bring out the brass neck in politicians.
Remember Charlie Haughey and the time he "won" the Tour de France. Well, yesterday South African president Thabo Mbeki slipped into a Springboks blazer and had the Webb Ellis trophy "officially presented" to him - to quote the country's public service broadcaster - as if he, and not Percy Montgomery, had kicked the winning points in the Rugby World Cup.
Hundreds of invited guests descended on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to witness the event, which marked the start of a raucous four-day cross-country victory tour by the South African team.
It may well go down as one of the most enduring images of Mr Mbeki's presidency - a rare cause for celebration in what are the twilight years of a troubled reign.
Mr Mbeki, who succeeded Nelson Mandela as the country's highest office-holder in 1999, is due to step down from the post in 18 months, having served the maximum term allowed under the constitution.
The politician, who lived in exile in Britain and Zambia for much of the apartheid era, is shunning retirement, however. Rather, he is seeking re-election for a third term as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) - hence his eagerness to milk the Springbok win for all its worth.
Mr Mbeki, who will set up two centres of power in South African politics if he wins the party leadership race in December, is particularly keen for some good press after several months of self-induced controversy.
He has been hammered by the media over a spate of recent decisions, including the sacking of respected deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge. He has also slipped to his lowest standing in public opinion polls for four years.
A TNS survey released this week found that only four out of 10 South Africans in September thought Mr Mbeki was doing a good job.
Steven Friedman, a Pretoria-based political analyst at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, said the media had given Mr Mbeki a "free pass" this week because of the euphoria surrounding the Springboks win.
However Mr Friedman said the media ceasefire would not last. "I think an illusion of unity is being created," he said, adding "I don't want to spoil the mood of national celebration but supporting the national rugby team will not help him win over the national delegates of the ANC."
In a leadership contest characterised by back-room dealing, the rugby triumph has triggered a rare bout of open electioneering, with Jacob Zuma - Mr Mbeki's chief rival for the ANC presidency - arranging for himself to be photographed in a Springboks jersey waxing lyrical about his purported love for rugby.
Not to be outdone, businessman Tokyo Sexwale - currently the only other declared candidate for the ANC leadership race - has announced plans to present the players with specially commissioned platinum medals.
Opinion polls show Mr Zuma is now favourite to win the ANC ballot. Mr Friedman however noted the roughly 4,000 delegates who were eligible to vote at the conference "will not necessarily go with public opinion".
There is still a possibility of a compromise candidate and on Thursday, Mr Sexwale suggested that he might step aside before the December convention if it helped the cause of party unity.
Mr Friedman said that without a compromise, two centres of power could well emerge and this would be "a recipe for potential conflict between the ANC and the ANC government".
He said every time such a power-split had been tried in Africa, "it has led to immense conflict and immense problems," including the phenomenon of party leaders installing puppet presidents in government.
The stakes are high for South Africa and a new sense of trepidation abounds.
A TNS survey this week found most South Africans believed Mr Zuma would become the country's next president in 2009, but nearly half of all respondents said this would be disastrous for South Africa.