New Zealand 11 South Africa 12
The Springboks are the global game’s top dogs now for sure, after winning their fourth World Cup in eight attempts, and their fourth final out of four. When you know how to win, you know how to win. The Springboks won the World Cup with three one-point victories in the knockout stages.
None of them have been particularly memorable and nor was this one, although it was perhaps the most tense and thrilling in its own way, as well as being discoloured by the first red card in the history of World Cup finals, alongside three yellow cards.
On a wet autumnal night in Paris, the French in the capacity 80,065 clearly sided with the All Blacks in light of France’s quarter-final defeat by South Africa.
That was even truer after the New Zealand captain Sam Cane’s high tackle in the 29th minute on Jesse Kriel which earned him a yellow card initially. It was upgraded to red five minutes later just as Handre Pollard landed his fourth penalty to make it 12-3.
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The collision followed an overthrow by Codie Taylor and Kriel turned and dipped toward Cane, but he was deemed to be too upright to offer any mitigation.
Having already absorbed one yellow card to Shannon Frizell, the All Blacks were now destined to play over an hour of the match with 14 men. Their hopes of a fourth World Cup looked goosed, but they dug deep, and helped by two yellow cards for the ‘Boks, played much of the rugby and created the majority of the try-scoring chances against a side whose scoring attempts were largely long-range drop goals.
As expected, pretty much of all of them left everything of themselves on the pitch. Ardie Savea and Richie Mo’unga, along with Scott and Jordie Barrett, had mighty games and didn’t deserve this.
But likewise, Pieter-Steph du Toit typified the ‘Boks’ unrelenting defensive effort with a warrior’s haul of 28 tackles, which was backed up by 21 from Deon Fourie, the latest of late entries into Test rugby but a fourth minute replacement here for the injured Bongi Mbonambi.
At least now Ireland can claim to have been the only side to beat the back-to-back world champions, and the ‘Boks’ triumph is positive for the URC, and not least their Munster locks Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman. Not to mention the Ulster-bound Steven Kitshoff and Leinster-bound Jacques Nienaber.
Whether or not things might have panned out differently but for Cane’s red card will never be known, but despite some clever strike moves, the Springboks’ pressure game and defensive line speed largely shackled the All Blacks attack.
Their lineout, which hitherto had only one blemish in the tournament, was also under pressure, Eben Etzebeth stealing one and Codie Taylor overthrowing another, a passage that led to Cane’s card.
Nor did the loss of hooker Mbonambi remotely affect the Springboks. By then, they’d just gone ahead through Pollard’s first penalty following a third-minute yellow card for flanker Shannon Frizell for the way he fell on Mbonambi’s leg in a ruck. South Africa’s sole specialist hooker tried to limp on, but was called ashore once Pollard slotted that penalty.
The All Blacks ran down the clock well during the sin-bin period until Aaron Smith overcooked a box kick to Cheslin Kolbe. His sliced kick turned into a fortunate crosskick for Damian Willemse and in turn an attacking lineout. The All Blacks defence withstood the maul but Codie Taylor played ruck ball with his feet and Pollard made it 6-0.
Back to 15, if not for long as it transpired, the All Blacks used a tackle off the ball by Faf de Klerk to launch Jordie Barrett on a good carry off the lineout, and were unlucky when his subsequent left-footed chip just eluded Savea when otherwise a try by the posts was a certainty. Compensation came by way of a Richie Mo’unga penalty after Kolbe denied Rieko Ioane in the corner with the advantage play.
The ‘Boks were coming up with plenty of big defensive moments - Etzebeth’s lineout steal and Jasper Wiese’s turnover at a ruck - before they were brazen enough to unveil their one ball-in-hand launch play of the match which ended with Kolbe’s chip for Arendse to chase roll over the touchline.
Pollard made it 9-3 after Savea was wrongly adjudged to have played the ball without releasing by Barnes, who also missed a clear knock-on by de Klerk at the base. As Cane’s red card was being upgraded to red, Pollard was lining up his fourth successful penalty.
The All Blacks responded with a Mo’unga penalty when Etzebeth should have been binned as a lazy runner offside.
On the resumption after half-time, the ‘Boks went for the kill, but were held up over the line before Willemse miscued a second drop goal attempt. Kurt-Lee Arendse then almost scored in the corner when Beauden Barrett attempted to shepherd a Willemse grubber over the line.
But then the ebb and flow of psychic energy shifted again when Siya Kolisi was binned for a high hit on Savea, catching him on the chin with his head. The yellow card would not be upgraded.
The All Blacks twice turned down very kickable shots at goal for attacking line-uts. It looked as if Mo’unga had done brilliantly to step Arendse and veer around Damian de Allende, and to give the pass inside for the supporting Smith to finish. But the try was ruled out for a barely visible knock-on at the preceding lineout, when Etzebeth was instead pinged for illegally playing the ball in the air.
Finally, the All Blacks’ ambition and pressure told when Jordie Barrett used an advantage play to loft a huge pass out wide to Mark Telea. He beat three men before his offload was picked up and finished by Beaduen Barrett, albeit with a strong suspicion that the ball went forward.
Mo’unga just missed the touchline conversion to leave the ‘Boks one point in front. It wasn’t to be the only miss off the tee, Jordie Barrett missing from distance after Kolbe was binned for a deliberate knock-on.
Still, the All Blacks did heroically work their way up field but Anton Lienert-Brown fumbled an offload by the magnificent Savea. And so the final moments were run down by reset scrums before the ball was buried beneath two sets of bodies for Barnes to call time.
Not the most satisfying finish to a World Cup final but, rightly, the ‘Boks won’t care. As in 2007, they are champions in France, their fourth triumph in four finals, and the third of them without scoring a try.
They know how to win World Cup finals. Whatever it takes.
Scoring sequence: 3 mins Pollard pen 3-0; 13 mins Pollard pen 6-0; 18 mins Mo’unga pen 6-3; 34 mins Pollard pen 9-3; 34 mins Pollard pen 12-3; 38 mins Mo’unga pen 12-6; (half-time 12-6); 58 mins B Barrett try 12-11.
South Africa: Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers); Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath); Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles); Steven Kitshoff (Ulster), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers); Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat, Japan); Siya Kolisi (captain – Racing 92), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby).
Replacements: Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) for Mbonambi (4 mins), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) for Kitshoff, RG Snyman (Munster) for Mostert (both 51 mins), Jean Kleyn (Munster) for Etzebeth, Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) (both 60 mins), Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92) for Malherbe (65 mins), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) for Willemse (66 mins), Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) for Kolisi (75 mins).
Yellow card: Kolisi (46-56 mins), Kolbe (73 mins).
New Zealand: Beauden Barrett (Blues); Will Jordan (Crusaders), Rieko Ioane (Blues), Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes), Mark Telea (Blues); Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders), Aaron Smith (Highlanders); Ethan de Groot (Highlanders), Codie Taylor (Crusaders), Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes); Brodie Retallick (Chiefs), Scott Barrett (Crusaders); Shannon Frizell (highlanders), Sam Cane (Chiefs, capt), Ardie Savea (Hurricanes).
Replacements: Sam Whitelock (Crusaders) for Frizell (55 mins), Samisoni Taukei’aho (Chiefs) for Taylor, Tamaiti Williams (Crusaders) for de Groot, Nepo Laulala (Blues), for Lomax (all 65 mins), Finlay Christie (Blues) (66 mins), Dalton Papali’i (Blues) for Retallick (70 mins), Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs) for Jordan (71 mins), Damian McKenzie (Chiefs) for Mo’unga (75 mins).
Red card: Cane (29 mins).
Yellow card: Frizell (3-13 mins),
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
