| New Zealand: (6) 11 |
| Tries: B Barrett Pens: Mo’unga 2 |
| South Africa: (12) 12 |
| Pens: Pollard 4 |
South Africa clinched a record fourth Rugby World Cup title by doing simply sufficient to disclaim 14-man New Zealand and retain their crown in a helter-skelter closing in Paris.
The Springboks appeared to have management when, with Handre Pollard’s dead-eyed goalkicking having already given them a 9-3 lead, Sam Cane caught Jesse Kriel excessive within the twenty seventh minute.
The New Zealand captain was proven a purple card on evaluate and one other Pollard penalty left the All Blacks a person down, 9 factors behind and in serious trouble.
But New Zealand rallied, rode their luck and dragged themselves again into the sport. Richie Mo’unga kicked a penalty earlier than the break and Beauden Barrett scooped up a unfastened ball and slid in after the interval to chop South Africa’s result in 12-11.
Both groups pushed for a decisive rating in an enthralling, lactic-drenched closing quarter, however neither discovered one, with Jordie Barrett lacking a long-range 73rd-minute penalty and the Springboks clinging on for a 3rd successive one-point victory within the knockout phases.
Captain Siya Kolisi clutched his head in disbelief as he danced off the bench and in the direction of his team-mates on the ultimate whistle. His facet are the primary group to win the event back-to-back away from dwelling – a statistic Leinster-bound coach Jacques Nienaber underlined within the build-up – and at the moment are the plain dominant pressure in World Cup historical past.
Their newest victory means the Springboks have received half of the eight tournaments they’ve taken half in. South Africa have been absent from the primary two editions due to the sporting exile imposed by the remainder of the world in response to the nation’s apartheid authorities.
In that period, the Springboks have been hated by many black South Africans. But underneath the management of Kolisi – the group’s first black Test captain – they’ve received backing from throughout the spectrum of the Rainbow Nation.
Ian Foster’s four-year reign as New Zealand head coach ends inside a whisker of the last word prize, having come underneath stress within the build-up when his group dipped under their normal excessive historic requirements.
Springboks grasp robust in nail-biter as soon as once more
With the Stade de France nonetheless ringing to the sound of a full-throttle haka, the 2 groups tore into one another from the off.
Eben Etzebeth levelled Mo’unga to cheers and groans earlier than Shannon Frizell’s determined try and take away South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonami from a breakdown took each gamers out of the sport – one briefly, one completely.
On evaluate, Frizell was let off with a yellow for an ugly-looking neck roll clear-out, whereas the injured Nbonambi, the Springboks’ solely specialist hooker, was compelled out of the sport.
Deon Fourie, a transformed flanker, got here on to interchange Nbonambi and, with the person benefit, his facet made hay.
Pollard, whose accuracy off the tee helped safe him a beginning position, nailed two penalties through the powerplay.
The physicality by no means dropped. The breakdown was a bunfight. The line-out was a lottery of limbs. The gainline was cratered with massive hits. Jordie Barrett and Damian de Allende charged at one another with wild abandon in midfield.
Pollard and Mo’unga traded penalties because the Springboks stored clear at 9-3 up.
But New Zealand, whose indiscipline price them expensive throughout a warm-up defeat in opposition to the Boks at Twickenham in August, strayed over the road of legality as soon as once more.
In the midst of some heavy site visitors, Cane flew right into a collision with Kriel. It was over-eager relatively than malicious, however his shoulder to the facet of the South Africa centre’s head, with no effort to dip, made a purple card the seemingly final result on evaluate.
Referee Wayne Barnes delivered the information as Pollard lined up one other penalty, following good work from Steven Kitshoff.
Pollard landed his kick to dig New Zealand’s gap a bit deeper and it appeared, with 34 minutes gone and the All Blacks 12-3 adrift, as if the future of the competition and the cup may already be determined.
But the All Blacks raged in opposition to the script. Rieko Ioane was scragged simply quick as they chanced their arm on a penalty benefit earlier than Mo’unga slotted a kick shortly after to take his facet down the tunnel 12-6 down and nonetheless, in idea, in contact.
Their under-staffed defence, caught between shoring up the scrum and overlaying the specter of South Africa’s pacy wings, was stretched skinny although.
Kolisi, bearing down on the road after Beauden Barrett dropped a excessive ball in his lap, ought to have put Kriel in for a attempt inside a minute of the restart. Kurt-Lee Arendse got here inside inches of a rating as he chased a seemingly misplaced trigger.
Springboks skipper Kolisi turned the third participant to go to the sin-bin – his hit on Savea slipping excessive – and New Zealand, briefly again stage when it comes to personnel, crowbarred the sport open once more.
Aaron Smith had already seen a attempt chalked off for an earlier knock-on when Jordie Barrett slung an unlimited cross vast to Mark Telea.
The wing stepped, darted and dropped the ball as he was tackled simply in need of the road. Crucially it was judged to have gone backwards and Beauden Barrett gathered up and slid over.
Mo’unga’s conversion hung vast to depart South Africa in entrance, however solely by a degree at 12-11 with 20 minutes remaining.
New Zealand flung every thing that they had on the Boks, whose defence strained, however stayed intact.
The All Blacks’ clearest probability got here when South Africa wing Cheslin Kolbe knocked the ball out of the air as he rushed in to sort out a galloping Anton Lienert-Brown.
Kolbe was proven yellow for a deliberate knock-on and Jordie Barrett referred to as for the tee. But the All Black centre’s kick – from a tough angle simply contained in the Bok half – fell vast and, attempt as they could, his facet couldn’t take advantage of one other spell again at 14-men apiece for the rest of the sport.
After equally slim victories over France and England, South Africa have walked the toughest, narrowest path to the trophy.
South Africa: Willemse; Arendse, Kriel, De Allende, Kolbe; Pollard, De Klerk; Kitshoff, Mbonambi, Malherbe, Etzebeth, Mostert, Kolisi (capt), Du Toit, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Fourie for Nbonambi (4) Le Roux for Willemse (66), Nche for Kitshoff (52), Kleyn for Etzebeth (58), Snyman for Mostert (52), Wiese for Kolisi (73), Smith for Vermeulen (58).Sin Bin: Kolisi (45), Kolbe (74).
New Zealand: B Barrett; Jordan, Ioane, J Barrett, Telea; Mo’unga, Smith; De Groot, Taylor, Lomax, Retallick, S Barrett, Frizell, Cane (capt), Savea.
Replacements: Liernert-Brown for Jordan (71), McKenzie for Mo’unga (75), Christie for Smith (66), Williams for de Groot (66), Taukeiaho for Taylor (66), Papali’i for Retallick (71).Not Used: Laulala, Whitelock.
Sin Bin: Frizzel (2).
Sent Off: Cane (27).
