2023-10-29 03:51:56
The joy of the South Africans after their victory in the Rugby World Cup final, in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), October 28, 2023. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
All it takes is one point. After seven weeks of frenetic competition, the tiniest difference is enough to tip into ecstasy or disillusionment. And the faces on the pitch at the Stade de France showed it clearly, Saturday October 28. At the end of an intense and indecisive final, South Africa won the 2023 Rugby World Cup by beating New Zealand (12-11). Just a small point ahead, the same gap as in the quarters against France and in the half against England. But more than enough to send Siya Kolisi and her partners to fourth heaven, the first nation to be crowned four times in the competition.
Read also: New Zealand – South Africa: the Rugby World Cup in France ends with a victory for the Springboks, titled for the fourth time
« Coach Rassie [Johan Erasmus, le directeur du rugby sud-africain] told us that great things are never achieved under ideal conditions. And this competition was not ideal for our groupexplained the South African captain, who arrived singing and cutting Webb-Ellis in hand at a press conference after the match. Face the host team in quarterfinals was one of the hardest tasks to overcome, the match against England was extremely close and it was the same today: we had to fight. »
South Africa did not pile up the tries in the final phase, nor create a river gap. But step by step, one point of difference after another, they demonstrated their mastery until the end of a grueling course. “They had a complicated journey and proved that they knew how to win”, whispered the New Zealand captain, Sam Cane, disappointed. Like four years earlier, the Sprinboks won the title despite a defeat in the group stages (against Ireland). It is at the end of the ball that the musicians are paid, and if the orchestra led by scrum half Faf De Klerk was not melodious, it respected its score until the end.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers New Zealand – South Africa, a final for supremacy in world rugby Scrum during the final of the Rugby World Cup between New Zealand and South Africa, at Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), October 28, 2023. GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
A dry game
The rain which hit the Stade de France before the final dampened hopes of a lively and ambitious game. It augured more of an old-fashioned game, made of scrums, candles and minimalist passes. A hand-crafted game for the Springboks: the plan they have followed since the start of the competition adapts perfectly to this autumn weather.
Everyone knows him: precise kicks allowing the play to be moved as they wish, a reliable scorer and impeccable defense. A dry game, which delights experts with its strategic refinement but undoubtedly leaves most spectators behind. But it is nowhere written in the rules of this two-hundred-year-old sport that you have to play a good game to win. The South Africans proved this three times during the elimination matches of this World Cup. “Obviously, they have mastered their game. They are strong, experienced, and have learned to navigate the worst difficultiesgreeted Ian Foster, the All Blacks coach, after the match. They have an ability to play at their own pace, and their three wins down to the wire in this tournament speak for themselves. »
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