Rugby World Cup final: South Africa def New Zealand, Sam Cane sent off in wild contest
Down at half-time and with one less man on the field, all hope looked lost for the All Blacks. Yet they nearly pulled off a World Cup stunner. Recap the epic final.
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All these years later, still no-one can topple South Africa when it comes to winning rugby’s biggest games.
The masters of finishing in front in tight matches, the Springboks claimed the Rugby World Cup for a record fourth time, beating their arch-rivals New Zealand 12-11 in a heartstopping but highly controversial final in Paris on Sunday morning.
The All Blacks, who were desperate to avenge their extra-time loss to South Africa in the 1995 final made famous by Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy while wearing a Springboks jersey, looked to have lost all hope when their captain Sam Cane was red carded in the first half for an accidental high tackle after Shannon Frizell had earlier been given a yellow.
But despite being down a man for almost the entire match, the All Blacks clawed their way back and dominated the second half to pull within a point of the South Africans when Beauden Barrett scored the only try of the match only to miss two late shots at goal that would have won the biggest prize in the code.
“I thought the courage they showed out here tonight was incredible, the whole team are absolute warriors. It’s tough,” Cane said.
“I’d like to say well done to South Africa. Back-to-back (champions), they have been a fantastic team. They have had a heck of a tough road to the final and they have shown time and time again they have a way to win.”
The Springboks, who also won their quarter-final against France and semi-final against England by a single point, held on grimly at the end to retain the Webb Ellis Cup they won in Japan four years ago, capturing a fourth title to go with their previous wins in 1995, 2007 and 2019.
“There are no ways I can explain it,” Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi said.
“I want to give credit to the All Blacks. They took us to the end, they took us to a dark place. It shows what kind of team they are, to fight with a man down from early in the game. They put us under so much pressure.
“Credit to my boys too for the fight. I am just grateful we could pull it off.
“People who are not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our country. It is not just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot. We are just grateful that we can be here. I want to tell the people of South Africa ‘thank you so much’.”
Kolisi was also yellow carded for making contact with the head of New Zealand No 8 Ardie Savea but unlike Cane, he was allowed back on the field after 10 minutes, a decision that left the Kiwis - and many others - baffled and complaining about the inconsistency of rugby’s laws.
“I’m proud of our guys, to go down to that red card so early and fight our way back and give ourselves a chance is pretty special,” All Blacks coach Ian Foster said.
“It was a real arm wrestle, both teams have their moment, incredibly proud of the way we fought and to get within a whisker of pulling it off is heart-breaking.
“While I am so proud of what we did and how we worked we have to give it to South Africa, they are a quality team. They have had a few close victories in this tournament and are a different class. It’s special for them but it equally hurts for us.”
South Africa’s points all came from the reliable boot of flyhalf Handre Pollard, who landed four first half penalties and didn’t miss a kick in the tournament after being called up for injured hooker Malcolm Marx.
But the Boks spent most of the second half defending for their lives after Kolisi and electric Cheslin Kolbe were each given stints in the bin. By the end, they made a whopping 209 tackles in the contest, more than twice as many as the Kiwis.
“I guess as a team we like drama,” South Africa’s man of the match Pieter-Steph du Toit said.
“We have had drama for the last few years. It helped us a lot as a team to get through the drama and cope with it and it shows the resilience of the team and the whole of South Africa.”
English referee Wayne Barnes was jeered when he collected his medal at the post match presentation after handing out four yellow cards during the match, two for each team, but it was the upgraded red to Cane that will forever be the biggest talking point.
The first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final, most neutrals thought Cane’s high shot warranted a much lesser penalty.
“I have got to say that is really disappointing for the final,” former South African captain Bobby Skinstad told the BBC. “I feel desperately sorry for Sam Cane.”
However, the Television Match Official (TMO) thought otherwise, leaving the Kiwis facing an uphill battle that they almost overcame in one of the most nerve-wracking finals of all time at a packed Stade de France.
The South Africans had looked in control early on, opening the scoring when Frizell was sin-binned in the third minute for a foul on Springboks hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi and Pollard’s penalty went through the sticks after scraping the inside of the post.
Pollard landed a second penalty in the 12th penalty, just before Frizell, the brother of NRL star Tyson, returned to the field after officials ruled his actions didn’t warrant any further sanction.
The All Blacks got on the scoreboard in the 17th minute when Richie Mo’unga slotted over a penalty from close range but Pollard restored the Springboks’ six-point advantage with a booming strike from near halfway that just floated over the crossbar.
One of South Africa’s heroes from the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama, Pollard stretched the lead to 12-3 when he landed a fourth penalty, just before Barnes revealed Cane’s yellow card had been upgraded to red.
Mo’unga landed his second penalty just before the interval to cut the margin to six points at the break, giving the All Blacks a glimmer of hope despite being down a man.
It became 14 on 14 shortly after the restart when Kolisi, South Africa’s first black captain, was sent packing after yet another TMO intervention.
While he was off the field, the All Blacks had scored a try through halfback Aaron Smith, but it was disallowed after the TMO ruled there was a knock-on at a lineout in the lead up.
The Springboks did not concede a single try in any of their three previous World Cup final appearances but blotted their perfect defensive copybook when Beauden Barrett dived over in the left corner to get the All Blacks to within a point.
Mo’unga failed to land the angled conversion then Jordie Barrett missed a long range penalty attempt seven minutes from the end when Kolbe was given a yellow for a deliberate knock on as South Africa held on to join New Zealand (2011-2015) as the only countries to win back-to-back titles.
“We came a long way with the players. We always planned for this World Cup, since 2018,” Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber said.
“The main thing is they’re a squad. They have been in a World Cup final before, some of them have played their third World Cup now.
“I think the experience pulled them through. They are an amazing bunch of guys, they are all warriors and they all love South Africa.”
Originally published as Rugby World Cup final: South Africa def New Zealand, Sam Cane sent off in wild contest
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