South Africa emerged triumphant over arch-rivals New Zealand in the Finals of Rugby World Cup 2023. The thrilling encounter held at Stade de France in Paris, had all 80,000 fans always on their toes, with the contest marked by a record-breaking number of yellow cards, eventually tipping the final result in South Africa’s favor. The Springboks narrowly edged out the All Blacks with a final score of 12-11, victorious by just one point for the third consecutive test match.
Handre Pollard, emerged as the hero of the day, with his four first-half penalties making all the difference. Although Pollard’s unwavering feet scored the points that led South Africa to victory on the night, nothing can be taken away from their defense prowess that held off the All Blacks for the better part of a half. Led by the remarkable performance of Pieter-Steph du Toit who claimed a record 28 tackles, South Africa stood resilient under immense pressure and fought off their opposition with only 14 men of their own.
The drama commenced early in the game when All Blacks’ flanker Shannon Frizell received a yellow card in the third minute for a dangerous clear-out on Springboks’ hooker Bongi Mbonambi, causing Mbonambi to leave the wet pitch with a leg injury. Pollard calmly converted the penalty, adding another in the 12th minute, giving South Africa an early lead of 6-0.
Frizell later returned and played a role in securing a penalty for the All Blacks, which Richie Mo’unga expertly converted to make the score 6-3 by the 16th minute. Nonetheless, Pollard responded with an impressive 46-meter penalty just two minutes later, giving South Africa a 9-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The All Blacks found themselves down to 14 players once again just before the half-hour mark when skipper Sam Cane collided head first with Springboks’ center Jesse Kriel. This time, there was no reprieve for Cane, and he was made to watch the remainder of the game from the sidelines, after his yellow card was upgraded to a red.
With Pollard converting his fourth penalty following the red card confirmation and Mo’unga responding with another three-pointer, the Springboks entered halftime with a man advantage and a 12-6 lead.
Historically, no team had ever come from behind at halftime to win a World Cup final, and the Springboks aimed to maintain their lead in the second half.
However, yet another pivotal moment occurred when South African skipper Kolisi received a yellow card in the 46th minute for a high tackle on Ardie Savea. Kolisi unlike his counterpart Cane, was fortunate to not have his yellow card upgraded to red when his infringement was viewed more as incidental rather than intentional.
Eight minutes later, New Zealand’s scrum half, Aaron Smith, appeared to have scored the game’s first try after a breathtaking break by Mo’unga. However, the try was disallowed due to a knock-on earlier in the move.
The All Blacks despite playing with a man down for the entire second half, stuck to their attacking style of play and in the 58th minute managed to get Beauden Barett over the line to score the only try of the night. Unfortunately, New Zealand failed to convert the try, when Mo’unga missed the conversion from a challenging angle. South Africa sighed a huge sens of relief as the scores read 12 – 11 in their favour.
In the final moments of the match, South Africa’s winger, Cheslin Kolbe, became the fourth player to receive a yellow card and handed the All Blacks one last attempt at eternal glory.
New Zealand’s Jordie Barrett, with an opportunity to secure victory, sent his 48-meter penalty wide of the left upright post much to the disbelief of his teammates and the thousands of All Black fans in the stadium.
In the end, South Africa held off the All Blacks and ended the game 12 -11 to claim their fourth world title. They in the process, cemented their names as the best team to have ever played the sport so far. Their victory epitomized the essence of rugby, showcasing the grit, determination, and unwavering spirit of the Springboks. Moreover, they etched out the All Blacks who too were hoping for their fourth World title and have long been credited as the best Rugby Nation to have ever played the sport.
Siya Kolisi, the inspirational captain of the Springboks, joined the exclusive club of dual World Cup-winning captains, a feat previously accomplished only by the legendary All Black Richie McCaw.
