South Africa made Eddie Jones humble for once – if only I’d had that bet on them!
It was an enthralling end to over six weeks of Rugby World Cup action.
The finale wasn’t a classic – Finals rarely are.
But the Springboks were dominant in winning the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time in their history.
England, who had played brilliantly in reaching the Final, simply could not match the South Africans’ power.
As the men in white fought valiantly to rescue the game in the closing stages, their opponents scored two fine tries to underline their dominance of the match.
There can be no doubt that the final scoreline was a fair reflection of how the match played out.
England may have thought that they had played their Cup Final in defeating the All Blacks in the semi-final.
They had produced a near- perfect performance, and totally outplayed the reigning champions.
However, in the Final – the biggest match
of any of their players’ careers – they simply could not rise to those heights for a second consecutive weekend.
From the first whistle, Eddie Jones’ side looked nervy.
Their passing was inaccurate and imprecise, while their opponents were absolutely clear about their game plan.
Yet to solely bemoan England’s inability to reproduce their All Blacks form would do a disservice to the Springboks’ own game.
South Africa set out to dominate the set piece, and to put the English back row and half-backs under pressure.
Sam Underhill and Tom Curry – who had been so impressive against New Zealand – were played out of the game by the Springboks’ front five, who systematically dismantled the English scrum with ruthless efficiency. Poor scrums concede penalties more often than not, the most- critical of which came as the clock had turned red for half-time.
Conceding three points at that stage of the match was not what England needed.
What’s more, the South African defence was relentless.
Their power in the tackle was immense and England simply could not work out how to break it down.
In the end, England had to resort to a kicking game.
It did not make for a great spectacle, but it was the only way that they could get the ball behind the South African defence.
For once, Eddie Jones showed some humility in the post- match interviews, recognising that his team had indeed been defeated by a better one.
South Africa were more organised, more aggressive and more composed than England, and they timed their run in the competition perfectly – peaking for the Final.
The Springboks’ victory will do wonders for the game in their country, especially with a British & Irish Lions tour coming up the year after next.
I’m left ruing my own advice in our Rugby World Cup preview supplement, where I proposed betting someone else’s £10 on South Africa to win.
If only I’d used my own money too!