South Africa Breaks New Zealand Hearts To Be Crowned RWC 2023 Champions

I think, like many among the 80,065 sitting in Stade de France in Paris on a cold and wet Saturday night, the final whistle resulted in an exhale of relief – South African fans rejoicing at being RWC 2023 Champions, while All Black fans (and players) slumped due to the agonising manner of the one-point 12-11 defeat. This wasn’t a free-flowing game, but it was a proper high-intensity rugby contest that had us enthralled until the final seconds.

Feature Photo – PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 28: Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, lifts The Webb Ellis Cup following the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Without a doubt, the fan behaviour online and the vitriol directed at match officials during this Rugby World Cup 2023 are the low points, but they are outshone by many heroic stories. All 46 players in the two matchday squads, plus their extended squads, management and countless others behind the scenes will have tales to tell in years to come.

Records were expectedly broken when Wayne Barnes blew for the final time at this RWC in France. South Africa became only the second team to defend the Webb Ellis Cup (the first to do so away from home for both titles), and the first men’s team to claim a 4th Rugby World Cup – at the expense of the All Blacks who they now surpass on both accounts.

The rivalry between these two sides, the two most successful men’s Rugby World Cup teams by some margin, really is unmatched.

PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 28: In this handout image provided by World Rugby, Sam Cane of New Zealand leads the Haka prior to kick-off ahead of the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by World Rugby – Handout/World Rugby via Getty Images)

There are wonderful rivalries throughout the rugby world, but the ferocity, respect and intensity of the Springboks and the All Blacks are the pinnacle in this sport.

For all of those (mostly based north of the equator) who were disappointed these were the two teams in the final, and even derided the style presented as two giants slugged it out, they just seems to be rueing their own team’s shortcomings.

The obvious disappointment of Sam Cane, the NZ captain who became the first player to be sent off in an RWC final (it seemed destined it would happen in France) and who now has to carry the gut-wrenching record for the rest of his life. But the margins were tiny.

Opposition captain, Siya Kolisi, also found his way to the sin bin for a similar offence, while star Cheslin Kolbe nearly cost his team the match when he was yellow-carded with less than ten minutes to go. And there was the dangerous neck roll of Shannon Frizell’s offence which led to Bok hooker ‘Bongi’ Mbonambi leaving the final, injured in the opening exchanges.

RWC 2023 Champions

There were heroics across the 80 minutes in Paris.

The All Blacks played a man down for so long against the defending champions, but the latter “found a way”. For those quick to throw accusations at the match officials, the communication between Barnes and the players during the match was excellent throughout. The big calls came from the TMO – it will be for World Rugby to navigate a clearer path forward for the game.

The fans played their part too in the horrible conditions but wonderful atmosphere. Chants of “Bokke, Bokke” from sections of the green-clad crowd reminded the Springbok players (not that they needed it) what this game meant.

NZ had their chances though in the RWC 2023 final. They turned down several options to kick for points but their lineout mauls were successfully stopped by the green defence. Missed (albeit challenging) kicks from Richie Mo’unga to convert Beauden Barrett’s try, and Jordie Barrett’s long-distance attempt were notable.

PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 28: Pieter-Steph Du Toit of South Africa is tackled by Scott Barrett of New Zealand the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

You could cast a microlens across the whole game and find crucial ankle taps, lineout steals, missed opportunities, and pulsating hits that thundered the Parisian stadium’s foundations.

Perhaps top of the heroics chart was Mastercard Player of the Match, Pieter-Steph du Toit with his unbelievable performance, which ended in a tally of 28 (often jarring) tackles. And of course Pollard’s calmness as he slotted the points to win  the game, followup up last week’s clutch kick to break English hearts in the semifinal.

The final was not for the faint-hearted but this is the beauty of rugby.

The Boks, for a third consecutive match held on to their one-point win. On the way to making history, had faced the men’s top 5 ranked teams (nevermind the loss of key players such as Malcolm Marx, Lukhanyo Am, and Makazole Mapimpi.)

South African Coach, Nienaber, who heads to Leinster next, said after the game, “This is probably for our fans and for South Africa. I wish I could show you the amount of messages we have received and what is going on in South Africa.

We have 62 million people united, opening up communities to allow people to watch, an entrance fee of whatever they wanted to donate. People have bought green T-shirts for everyone. We felt every single bit of energy they gave us and in the last three games, all one-point victories, that drove us.”

Legacies Cemented – All Blacks and Springbok Rivalry

The game was never going to give both teams a fairytale ending.

Sadly for New Zealand, some of their all-time greats hang up their international boots after being denied gold at the end of illustrious careers; Aaron Smith, Samuel Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, and Dane Coles are the ones we know of. But during this tournament, they have once again shown why they are so formidable and corrected two years of disappointments, even though the final loss will hurt.

While on the Springbok side of the story, Duane Vermeulen has retired from national duty, but more will come over the coming months – this is a team that has been bound-tight for several years and achieved the impossible under the coaching duo of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber.

Image Credit – World Rugby – RWC 2023 Champions – Siya Kolisi – Springbok Captain

Siya Kolisi has firmly left a legacy, no matter what he decides to do next (aside from playing rugby in France where he can hopefully silence the few French critics who booed him in the final). But honestly he has nothing left to prove.

This entire team of champions should rightfully be congratulated for their achievements.

In the end, the Bok captain paid tribute to NZ, “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.”

Outgoing NZ coach, Ian Foster, probably summed up his team’s feelings best, “To go down to that red card so early and fight our way back and give ourselves a chance is pretty special. To get within a whisker of pulling it off is heartbreaking.

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.”

Some Interesting Stats – RWC 2023 Final

• New Zealand followed the theme of every knockout game at this Rugby World Cup – the team that played more with the ball ended up losing.
• Ardie Savea (NZ) made the most carries of anyone on the field (21).
• Every single South African forward (excluding Mbonambi) made double-digit tackles, led by Pieter-Steph du Toit.
• SA made 209 tackles as opposed to NZ’s 93 tackles!

Rugby World Cup 2023 News

• Rugby World Cup 2023 Final – South Africa vs New Zealand Preview.
• RWC 2023 Final – The JRLO Connection.
• Rugby World Cup 2023 – The Final.
• Rugby World Cup 2023 Semifinals Week.