South Africa became the Rugby World Cup champions for the fourth time. New Zealand contested a thrilling final at the Stade de France in Saint-Dénis, but as in the quarter-final against France and the semi-final against England, the Springboks won by one point: 12-11.
With four World Cup titles, South Africa is now the most successful rugby nation in the world. New Zealand remained in third place.
haka
Many important names attended the match between the two rugby superpowers, including South African President Cyril Ramphosa and (former) tennis stars Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Shortly before the match, the stadium fell silent for the Maori culture’s New Zealand “haka” ritual, which is performed before every match.
The tenth Rugby World Cup, attended by New Zealand and South Africa, witnessed a dream final between the two most successful teams in history. But both started the tournament five weeks ago with great uncertainty.
The All Blacks suffered a crucial defeat in their opening match against hosts France on 8 September, and South Africa also had to bow out to the superior Ireland in the group stage. However, both teams showed their quality in the knockout stage.
Mbonambi case
The main focus heading into the final was South African golfer Bongi Mbonambi, who was said to have racially abused opponent Tom Curry in the semi-final against England. The International Rugby Union investigated the incident but dismissed the case due to lack of evidence.
But whether the Mbonambi affair stemmed from a misunderstanding or not, it touched on a sensitive point in South African rugby that plays an important role in reckoning with its apartheid past.
The much-discussed Mbonambi was forced to substitute less than a minute into the final with a knee injury following a foul by New Zealander Manson Frizzell, who had to sit in the penalty area for ten minutes with a yellow card.
The All Blacks had a tough time against a dominant South Africa, who quickly took a 6-0 lead thanks to Handré Pollard’s penalty.
Red card
The decisive moment of the first half came when the score was 9-6 for the South Africans and All Blacks captain Sam Cane was sent off with a red card.
Cane tried to stop Jesse Kriel, but he did so by shoving his shoulder into the South African’s face. The penalty for this is at least yellow, but it can also be changed to red after the pictures are examined. And that’s exactly what happened.
The All Blacks were forced to carry on with fourteen men and Pollard poured some salt into the wound by scoring his fourth penalty between the posts. Mo’unga also scored another goal and both teams entered the first half with a score of 12-6.
At the start of the second half, the South Africans had two opportunities to deliver the final blow. Captain Kolisi initially appeared to be heading for the try, but was stopped a few meters from the try line.
Later, it was Kurt-Lee Arendse who came down to the testing area, but after examining the pictures, it turned out that he lost control of the ball at the last moment.
The South African captain is also in the penalty area
Missed tries cost the Springboks dearly, especially after South Africa captain Kolisi was also sent off after a dangerous head-on challenge.
The video referee was lenient and the penalty was limited to ten minutes in the penalty area. Without Kolisi, South Africa escaped with a scare when Aaron Smith’s effort was saved, but moments later they conceded their first try in four (!) World Cup finals.
Beauden Barrett, the eldest of the three Barrett brothers for the All Blacks, took the win and brought New Zealand within one point: 12-11. This remained as Richie Mo’unga missed the conversion.
South Africa’s fierce defense of its lead at 12:11 in the last stage led to desperate moves. Just like Chesny Kolbe, who had to receive a yellow card for deliberately kicking the ball in the final stage.
The foul earned New Zealand a penalty. Kolbe watched with tears in his eyes as Jordie Barrett, who had replaced the kicker Mo’unga, stood behind the ball.
Frustrated, the penalty went wide of the post. After Barrett’s kidnapping, Kolbe’s tears turned into a big smile. Tears streamed down the New Zealander’s cheeks before the final whistle blew.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
