Brilliant Springboks pummel England to claim third World Cup title

The Springboks completed arguably the most remarkable transformation in the shortest time ever of any international team by claiming a third World Cup title against England in Yokohama on Saturday, a mere 18 months after they were in complete disarray.

Rassie Erasmus’s troops were brutal, relentless and, eventually, clinical in outplaying their more fancied opponents and winning 32-12.

More importantly, as the inspirational Siya Kolisi said afterwards, the national team have once again done their utmost to help unite an undeniably fractured nation.

This was a game where Springbok rugby showcased all its virtues in abundance.

The scrum was relentless, their defence resembled the type of wall Donald Trump dreams of and they dominated the collisions.

As a result, England were seldom allowed to stamp their authority on the game, instead succumbing to the pressure and gifting the South Africans their points.

Who was the star in this match?

Giving this award to all 23 men would be a bit of a cop-out, but it was undeniably a complete team performance. However, winger Makazole Mapimpi‘s game-breaking try was the moment that not only settled the outcome, but should finally make doubts over his abilities disappeared. That score showed his predatory finishing ability, but also helped highlight what a versatile player he is. He was superb in the air and hardworking on defence.

Key moments and themes

• The foundation of the Boks’ win was undoubtedly how they unashamedly targeted the set-pieces. And the sheer accuracy of that plan’s execution was mind-blowing. They actively disrupted the line-out and a rampant scrum saw England concede no less than four penalties at that set-piece. One of the more telling incidents was how replacement props Steven Kitshoff and Vince Koch came on and immediately won a penalty. It was a huge psychological blow.
• Speaking of mental toughness, the South Africans showed this in abundance. They saw flyhalf Handre Pollard miss an early penalty attempt and lost hooker Bongi Mbonambi (concussion) and lock Lood de Jager (shoulder), but simply didn’t allow those setbacks to knock them back. Instead, they kept taking the points, kept their focus in the set-pieces and blew minds with their defensive organisation, especially after England assaulted their line consistently in the latter stages of the first half.
• While the Boks never moved too far away from their successful, counterattacking template, they seemed to catch the Roses off-guard by keeping the ball in hand a bit more at the start. It didn’t necessarily pay off immediately, but it laid down an important mental marker …
• … Which manifested itself in the moment of the game: Mapimpi’s try. The underrated Lukhanyo Am and Malcolm Marx both threw nifty short pass to the winger, who chip forward skillfully. Am was on hand to re-gather and find Mapimpi for a score that caused delirium for South Africans. It was ballsy and brilliantly constructed. Emboldened, Marx’s turnover tackle saw Cheslin Kolbe beat a defender and jinx his way to the tryline, adding the cherry on top.

Point scorers:

Springboks – Try: Makazole Mapimpi, Cheslin Kolbe. Conversions : Handre Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (6).

England – Penalties: Owen Farrell (4).

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