South Africa has completed a successful defence of its Rugby World Cup crown with a tense 12-11 victory over the All Blacks, who played most of the final without captain Sam Cane after he was sent off in Paris.
The final marked the Springboks’ third straight one-point win of the tournament, after a 29-28 quarterfinal victory to oust hosts France and a 16-15 win over England in the semis.
The All Blacks counted the cost of two late missed shots at goal, with Richie Mo’unga unable to slot a 58th-minute sideline conversion, and Jordie Barrett missing a penalty from just over halfway in the 73rd minute.
That late penalty was sparked by an intentional knock on from Springboks winger Cheslin Kolbe, who was shown a yellow card and finished the match in tears, barely able to watch from the sideline.
It meant both teams had just 14 players on the field at full-time, after New Zealand skipper Cane had his yellow card upgraded to red by the television match official for a 27th-minute high shot on Jesse Kriel.
