After an incredible defensive display, South Africa won a record-tying fourth Rugby World Cup on Saturday, October 28.
With only seven seconds remaining, South Africa and New Zealand had to engage in a fierce scrum to determine who would win the Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks made one last, ferocious assault, and the Springboks had to retreat with a one-point lead. Referee Wayne Barnes had to stop an intense final after the two lines of forwards locked horns and South Africa won the scrum to ensure the ball would not escape the ruck.
In the Rugby World Cup final, the Springboks and All Blacks came into contact for just the second time.
Nelson Mandela donned a Springboks shirt and hat, Joel Stransky scored the game-winning drop goal in extra time, and Jonah Lomu was subdued. 1995 can ne reminisced.
Up until today, the fabled rivalry in rugby has not appeared in another final due to the hands of fate, and even this came as a surprise.
This is the first championship where no team has won a pool match. The French defeated the All Blacks. The Irish defeated the Springboks. Both of the expected outcomes had the Stade de France in stitches. However, on two evenings in the quarterfinals, when the All Blacks shocked Ireland and the Springboks eliminated host France, the ageing stadium was actually trembling.
They may have chosen the unusual 7-1 split of forwards and backs on the bench since the final was their sixth bone-rattling game in five weeks. Or maybe because 7-1 proved effective in their first attempt, which was against the All Blacks right before the competition, resulting in their greatest rivalry ever suffering a 35-7 loss.
Regardless, Handre Pollard’s four penalties helped South Africa retain its crown, since they had put their team ahead 12–6 at halftime. After Beauden Barrett had given the country optimism that they may win the match, the All Blacks relentlessly pressed forward, preventing the Springboks from scoring any points in the second half.
One statistic stood out at the Stade de France after the final whistle. With 209 tackles, the Springboks achieved an 81% success rate. Additionally, South Africa won seven turnovers to New Zealand’s meagre one.
