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The Springboks became the second team to win back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles â and they did it the hard way, bouncing back to achieve greatness at France 2023 by simply not knowing when they were beaten.
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Abiding memory
Who knows if Franceâs Thomas Ramos would have converted Peato Mauvakaâs try from the touchline â a tournament-leading 21 conversions suggests there is a good chance â but Cheslin Kolbe racing 20 metres to charge down the full-backâs attempt was probably crucial in South Africaâs 29-28 win in a quarter-final classic that dashed the home nationâs dreams of World Cup glory.
âYou donât see that often â somebody chasing a lost cause,â said head coach Jacques Nienaber. Kolbe would also figure in a classic final, unable to watch his side seal victory as he sat on the sidelines with his head in his hands after receiving a late yellow card.
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Try of the tournament
It has to be Kurt-Lee Arendseâs in South Africaâs opening Pool B game against Scotland, if only for the assist by Manie Libbok, a perfectly weighted, no-look kick. âI practice that stuff a lot so it was good that it came off,â the fly-half said.
Quote that said it all
The connection between the players and the 60 million people back in South Africa was a constant theme for captain Siya Kolisi, and his comments before the semi-final with England were probably the pick of a big bunch.
âThe kids at schools are sending us clips of them singing because they know some of us like singing. People at work on Fridays are wearing their green jerseys, anything that is green.
âWe see that and that will continuously be our motivation. The majority of the people in our country are unemployed and some have no homes. For me, giving up and not giving everything would be cheating.â
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Man of the moment
Has to be Kolisi despite the yellow card in the final. A hugely influential figure on the field, leading his side by example from flanker, but he is just as impressive off it with his eloquent, thoughtful answers to any question fired at him.
Surely a career in politics beckons once he has hung up his boots but for now, he can celebrate joining New Zealandâs Richie McCaw as the only man to lift the trophy twice.
One for the future
The likes of Damian Willemse and Libbok will be at their peak come Rugby World Cup 2027, but Canan Moodie could be the star of the show in Australia. Just 20, the centre has blistering pace and great vision as he showed with his try and assist in the victory over Tonga.
From the touchline
Rugby can be a brutally tough sport but after a match, it is all about respect. That was the case after South Africaâs 49-18 victory over Tonga when both teams came together to form a huge circle on the field in Marseille before bowing their heads and kneeling together in prayer then swapping shirts with Kolisi exchanging his with Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna, saying: âIt was a really beautiful moment.â
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Key statistics
Defence and discipline were key for the Springboks who conceded the third-fewest penalties (averaging 8.5 per match) in their run to the final.
The scrum also proved crucial with a 100 per cent success on their own put-in against the heavyweight packs of France and England in the knockout stages, thanks in part to the Springboksâ much-vaunted âbomb squadâ who turned the game against England.
The Springboks were all smiles arriving on the red carpet with the Webb Ellis Cup at the World Rugby Awards 2023. #RWC2023 #Springboks #WorldRugbyAwards pic.twitter.com/jyykhL0U3L
â RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 29, 2023
Verdict
South Africa had by far the hardest route to the final of facing the other five of the top six teams in the world rankings (Ireland, New Zealand, France, England and Scotland) losing narrowly to Ireland in the pool stage.
And they won it the hard way showing supreme courage and determination to win all their three knock-out games by a single point. Extraordinary.
Guys on Sunday one of the wine estates in Franschhoek was handing out free bubbly to everyone wh wore a Springbok shirt. Amazing party.
So Nige, what's the weather like this time of year? You keen for a good surf or maybe a stroll up the mountain. Maybe don't go in the direction of any sports stadium right now. SA on a good win streak now in their cricket also. Toodles
One day Nigel one dayđđđđ
Without O'Keeffe's two Man of the Match efforts for SA in the QF and SF games and Barnes's insane Man of the Match performance in the final SA were a joke. Incidentally thereâs another RP article on numbers and stats, not a single SA player features. Enough said.
Nigey is brokenâŠ.. like a sore looâŠhoooser, Nigey has spoken like the first turd, Praise for him whining, Praise for him cryy-yyy-yy-ing Praise for him springing fresh from his bedsit
Do they write the numbers and stats on the cup?
That is because no one in the Springbok team are passangers. They work as a team.Those âjokesâ won the world cup again. I know it must be boring for you but too bad. 4 world cupsđ„ł Bash the ref, call them lucky it does not matter. You just dream about it and we go do it!