New Zealand 11-12 South Africa: Handre Pollard kicks Springboks to Rugby World Cup triumph after Sam Cane red card
South Africa held on against 14-player New Zealand to record another victory at the Rugby World Cup
A first-ever red card in the Rugby World Cup final proved crucial as the dismissal of New Zealand captain Sam Cane Handre Pollard allowed South Africa to kick to a 12-11 win and clinch their fourth title.
Pollard – who missed the start of the World Cup through injury before being called up late – kicked four penalties, with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi possibly lucky to avoid red himself for a frontal tackle on Ardie Savea, and Cheslin Kolbe sinning -discarded too late for an intentional downer.
New Zealand scored their points through two Richie Mo’unga penalties and a Beauden Barrett try – ruling out another Aaron Smith score – and refused to give up despite being down 14 as of the 29th minute, but they were unable to capitalize on their chances of ever taking the lead in the match as Jordie Barrett missed a long-range penalty late on.
New Zealand – Tries: B Barrett (58). Pens: Mo’unga (17, 38).
South Africa – Pens: Pollard (3, 13, 19, 34).
Cane’s red card came for a high tackle that made contact with the head of South African center Jesse Kriel, with World Rugby’s foul play review bunker presenting a high level of danger, with no apparent mitigation.
New Zealand skipper Sam Cane becomes the first player ever to be shown a red card in a Rugby World Cup final
Handre Pollard kicked four penalties as South Africa secured back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles
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James Cole outlines how South Africa won their record fourth Rugby World Cup title after beating New Zealand, who were reduced to 14 men after captain Sam Cane’s red card.
The All Blacks were reduced to fourteen players in less than three minutes when Frizell was rightly penalized by TMO Tom Foley for falling onto the standing leg of South African hooker Bongi Mbonami during a ruck, causing a knee injury.
Shannon Frizell was condemned early on for dangerously landing his weight on a player’s leg at a ruck
Pollard scored the first points of the final after that incident, before much of the early proceedings were dominated by out-of-hand kicking, despite South Africa facing fourteen players.
Pollard struck for 6-0 as the All Blacks were punished on the breakdown, and only the bounce of the ball denied Ardie Savea a try in response at the other end to a chip kick from Jordie Barrett. New Zealand played on penalty advantage, allowing Mo’unga to score the 6-3.
Pollard kicked solidly off the tee for South Africa with the win
After twenty minutes, a heavy penalty against Savea ensured that Pollard’s attack from distance just crept over the bar.
Eben Etzebeth was soon knocked on in the carry just outside his 22, but it was a scrum New Zealand would not be able to attack from as Cane was dismissed after a review for his high tackle on Kriel.
Wayne Barnes drew the red card after World Rugby’s bunker rating system, and New Zealand could have few complaints
Cane cut a dismayed figure on the sidelines and could only watch as his teammates put in an excellent performance in the defeat
Six minutes into the half, Pollard extended the lead to two scores, but New Zealand’s 14 responded heartily before half-time, with Frizell and Rieko Ioane both coming close to trying – the latter after an attack was disrupted by a clearly sidelined Etzebeth, who was very fortunate that he did not fall into sin.
Mo’unga converted that penalty to leave the score at 12-6 at halftime, but New Zealand faced an extremely difficult task.
New Zealander Richie Mo’unga kicked them to within six points but would miss a conversion for the lead
The numbers could have been leveled five minutes into the second period when Kolisi collided with Savea’s head, but although he was at fault, the bunker returned that a change in the dynamics of the situation was just enough to a red one to spare. card.
From then on, New Zealand largely dictated the game, assuming they had one player less, and repelled shots at the posts in search of a try.
After Smith’s score was disallowed due to an earlier Savea knock-on, the All Blacks got the try they deserved when Mark Telea danced through and fired for Barrett to grab the ball and score in the corner. However, Mo’unga critically missed the difficult conversion.
Beauden Barrett scored the only try of the match, but it went unconverted as New Zealand lost by a point
Kolbe’s yellow card for a deliberate knock-on with seven minutes to play gave New Zealand one last chance, but Jordie Barrett’s long-range penalty drifted wide, and a final strike saw the ball lost by Savea.
Cane: I’m upset and disappointed; the courage the boys showed was incredible
New Zealand captain Sam Cane told ITV Sport after the match…
“Of course I am extremely upset and disappointed, first of all by the fact that the boys had to play with fourteen men for fifty minutes.
But I thought the courage they showed tonight was incredible. The whole team are absolute fighters and it’s tough.
“I would like to say: well done to South Africa. They have been a fantastic team and fought their way to the final very well.
“Time and time again they find a way to win, so well done South Africa.”
Du Toit: We are honored to play for all of South Africa | Kolisi: We have a task to inspire
South Africa back row Pieter-Steph du Toit said after the match…
“The last three games have been quite tough. We played every match as a final and every match was one point ahead, so it was tough for us and we are happy with the win.
“For all of South Africa, we are honored to play for you and for the Springboks. I know it will be a warm welcome for us when we return home.”
South African captain Siya Kolisi said after the match…
“What happened at the last World Cup was actually what we were hoping for because we were trying to get the name of the Springboks back. But now people were expecting us.
“There is so much going wrong in our country, we are basically the last line of defense, there are so many people who come from where I come from who are hopeless.
‘There is so much division in the country, but we are showing people that it is possible for people from different backgrounds to work together – not just on the rugby field, but in life in general.
“I have a job to make sure I give everything I can for the jersey, to make sure I inspire the next generation that they can have these kinds of opportunities.”
What’s next?
The victory means South Africa takes victory at the Rugby World Cup for the fourth time, following previous titles in 1995, 2007 and 2019. They end their campaign having finished second in Pool B after defeating Ireland and winning of Scotland, Romania and Tonga, before beating hosts France 29-28 in the quarter-finals and England 16-15 in the semi-finals.
The defeat means New Zealand finish second at a Rugby World Cup for the second time in their history, following the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, which they also lost to the Springboks. They end their campaign having finished second in Pool A following defeat to hosts France and wins over Namibia, Italy and Uruguay, before beating Ireland 28-24 in the quarter-finals and Argentina 44-6 in the semi-finals.