Triumph for SA rugby

SA produced a magnificent defensive effort to edge 14-man New Zealand 12-11 in an armwrestle of a Rugby World Cup final on Saturday, claiming the Webb Ellis Cup for a record fourth time in eight attempts.

In a Rugby World Cup that has treated us to some of the greatest matches the tournament has ever seen, the nail-biting final provided the most fitting of conclusions.

It won’t be remembered as a beacon of error-free perfection but the two greatest rugby nations on earth combined to produce a showpiece that was unbelievably compelling in its flaws and delivered almost impossible drama until the very last second.

Both the Springboks and the All Blacks entered as three-time winners of this tournament, a storied rivalry dating back over a century, a previous final that produced the sport’s most iconic image and with the victors able to seize a record fourth title and arguably the moniker of the undisputed champions.

A total of four cards were handed out in the match: a yellow card to All Blacks flanker Shannon Frizell as early as the third minute after a clear out on Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi and a yellow card to their captain Sam Cane, which was later upgraded to a red card for a high hit on Jessie Kriel.

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi also received a yellow card for a high tackle on Ardie Savea, with Bok wing Cheslin Kolbe receiving his marching orders with a yellow card late in the game for deliberately knocking the ball down.

Handre Pollard was dead accurate from the tee, slotting all of his penalties for a 100% kicking ratio of four out of four for the Springboks’ 12-point tally.

The All Blacks had their chances but missed a conversion and a long-range penalty.

What baffled everyone, was their options to go for a line-out with kickable penalties presented. That came back to haunt them, because in knockout games every single point on offer must be taken.

A country so diverse, with beautiful people across all races, we have so many problems, but rugby and sport in general is our only glimmer of hope, uniting us like never before.

While our many problems will not disappear overnight or through winning the World Cup, for those 80 minutes, and for a day or two, the people of this country deserve to be happy, to be united, to forget about all of their problems, to bask in the glory of this wonderful team, The Springboks.

This is what this Springbok teams do for our country, our communities, they are the last line of defence.

What this team have achieved can never be undone.

This is a special group of players and coaches. The unity and love among the players is something to behold, it is genuine.

This team will go down in history as the best ever Springbok team to date.

They have played every single team in the top six in the world on route to the World Cup title.

The Springboks are back-toback world champions and ranked World No 1.

As coach Rassie Erasmus valiantly stated, “pressure is a privilege”.

Hail the South African Springboks, and the greatest rugby nation on earth.