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Springboks overcome 14-man All Blacks to defend World Cup title
Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi can rightfully take their place on the throne of rugby gods after delivering a record fourth World Cup title to the Rainbow Nation.
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After winning the Rugby World Cup for the third time in 2019, the defending champions have gone back-to-back after beating the All Blacks 12-11 at Stade de France in Saturday’s World Cup final.
The All Blacks played most of the Test with 14 men after a red card to captain Sam Cane, and while the New Zealanders had opportunities to snatch the crown, it wasn’t to be.
The Springboks are the 2023 Rugby World Cup champions.
With rain trickling down from the heavens at Stade de France, both teams grouped into their own huddles mere moments before the opening whistle.
This was it. For both the Springboks and All Blacks, this was their opportunity to immortalise themselves into Rugby World Cup history as champions.
There was a palpable sense of nervousness, anticipation and excitement as New Zealand fullback Beauden Barrett kicked off the Test. After seven weeks and 47 games, the final was here.
But disaster struck almost immediately for the All Blacks. Shannon Frizell was sent to the sin bin after just two-and-a-half minutes of play.
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An anxious eight minutes followed as the incident went under review, and while the flanker avoided an unimaginable red card, it didn’t aid the All Blacks’ cause for a fourth crown.
Springboks playmaker Handre Pollard converted two penalties as the defending World Cup champions raced out a hard-fought six-nil lead before Frizell returned to the field.
The All Blacks had their backs against the ropes. South Africa were playing with passion, skill and confidence as the New Zealanders failed to show much during the first 15 minutes.
But a team like the All Blacks is more than capable of deploying a damaging counter-punch, and they came within inches of doing just that.
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Playing with an advantage, a clever Jordie Barrett chip-kick found the deck inside the Springboks’ 22, and it also paid off as backrower Ardie Savea fought after the ball in desperation. But the opportunity to score alluded the Player of the Year nominee – but only just.
Back to the advantage, the All Blacks as flyhalf Richie Mo’unga knocked over the All Blacks’ first shot at goal for the night.
Chants of ‘All Blacks, All Blacks, All Blacks’ erupted in a pocket of the stadium as the New Zealanders set-up to receive the kick-off, but the Boks were up for the fight once again.
Moments after turning over the ball, referee Wayne Barnes awarded another penalty in the Springboks’ favour. Pollard added another three to their lead from long-range.
The next eight minutes were far from uneventful, but no points were scored. New Zealand threw everything at the Boks but the 2019 champions stood firm in defence.
But then the match took another turn. All Blacks captain Sam Cane was sent to the sin bin under review, and that incident was later upgraded to a red card.
It was the first red card in men’s Rugby World Cup final history.
Attack 
221
Passes
84
149
Ball Carries
85
388m
Post Contact Metres
191m
7
Line Breaks
4
Pollard and Mo’unga traded penalty goals as the Springboks carried a tense six-point lead into the break. It was anyone’s game, but the All Blacks were up against it.
In another stunning twist, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was sent to the sin bin – under review – for a high shot just four minutes into the half, but this remained a yellow.
The All Blacks almost made the most of it, too, with Richie Mo’unga setting up veteran Aaron Smith for what appeared to be a try. New Zealand – yes, the country – must’ve gone berserk.
But referee Barnes called the play back for an earlier infringement. No try was scored but the All Blacks had a penalty.
Fans let out a chorus of boos and cheers as referee Barnes made that call official.
The All Blacks continued to pester the Springboks’ try line after being awarded a series of penalties, and eventually, it paid off. Jordie Barrett threw a miracle cut-out pass to Mark Tele’a out wide, which led to brother Beauden Barrett scoring moments later.
Mo’unga missed the conversion but the All Blacks were back in the fight.
With just one point separating the teams, New Zealand looked the more threatening but they weren’t able to land a killer blow as the final entered a tense final quarter.
Whether they were filled with confidence, fear or a combination of the two, fans found it impossible to look away as the Test headed towards an ending fit for a final.
More chants of ‘All Blacks, All Blacks’ echoed throughout the Parisian venue as Springboks fans, quite uncharacteristically, sat in silence.
Knockout
11 - 12
Final
6 - 44
SF1
15 - 16
SF2
17 - 29
QF1
24 - 28
QF2
30 - 24
QF3
28 - 29
QF4
The clock continued to tick by. Tick, tock, tick, tock – but no points were scored. But the All Blacks mounted an impressive-looking counter-attack that ended up having a big say on the Test.
Wing Cheslin Kolbe was sent to the sin bin for knocking the ball down and the All Blacks were awarded a penalty. Jordie Barrett lined up a shot at goal.
But he missed.
The Springboks held on for that little bit longer. Only five minutes remained.
Eventually, It came down to one scrum. The Springboks held on and the Springboks, rightfully, celebrated in an incredible state of euphoria.
For the first time ever, the Springboks had gone back-to-back.
And with that, the 2023 Rugby World Cup was over. At the end of the tournament’s 48th Test, South Africa have beaten New Zealand in a thrilling final at Stade de France.
The world was in union.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for a much more balance piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
1 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
1 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
184 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
184 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
184 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
184 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
184 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
184 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
184 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the desperation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
184 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
184 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
2 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to comments