Rugby World Cup: How the All Blacks and Springboks made it to the final
Rugby World Cup: How the All Blacks and Springboks made it to the final
There are now just two teams left in the running for the Rugby World Cup, and both New Zealand and South Africa have won three championships each.
Only one team will be grinning at the end of Saturday night’s 80 minutes, despite the rivalry being dubbed the best in the game and fuelled by their electrifying battles and success at the top level.
Before the weekend’s action, we take a closer look at how the two teams reached the final. The two teams have had starkly different journeys to the final.
New Zealand
Few things are more challenging than opening the Rugby World Cup by playing against an elite group of athletes in their own stadium. When the All Blacks played France to open the competition, that was the situation.
Antoine Dupont’s charge put up a spectacular display against a stumbling All Blacks team, inspiring Les Bleus on the night. The New Zealanders lost 27-13 because they were outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game, not because of a lack of effort.
The All Blacks were mostly undisturbed for the remainder of the group stage due to Pool A’s composition, and that was the case after a convincing victory over Namibia with a score of 71-3 that helped boost morale.
Italy was the next opponent, and head coach Ian Foster didn’t take any chances by fielding a very powerful lineup, which paid off handsomely. The Azzurri were destroyed by the All Blacks 96-17 on the night, a number that is absurd given how much better Italy is now. The All Blacks would run riot throughout the whole match.

The All Blacks appeared to be dripping with confidence by the time they faced Uruguay in their last group game, so it seemed as though this encounter marked a turning point. The three-time champions cruised to a 73-0 victory.
After finishing the pool stage, Ireland, one of their biggest contemporary opponents, was the following assignment. The Irish, who only last year traveled to New Zealand and returned home with a series victory, have recently had difficulty facing the All Blacks in recent years.
The quarterfinal fulfilled every expectation of the audience. The 80 minutes were filled with incredible skill, commitment, and discipline from both teams, and it really could have gone either way. However, the All Blacks demonstrated their tenacity and knockout rugby acumen by defending 37 phases in their half before Sam Whitelock’s turnover at the breakdown, which allowed them to maintain a four-point lead. In a historic Test, New Zealand prevailed 28–24. The men in black are undisputed kings of rugby.
Between the quarterfinals and the semifinals, there was a stark change as New Zealand relished the challenge of Los Pumas. Although it may have been a simpler game in the past, Argentina has defeated the All Blacks twice since the last World Cup. This time, however, it was different as the New Zealanders displayed their dominance in a 44-6 rout to advance to the championship game.
South Africa
Scotland presented a challenging beginning to the campaign for the other southern superpower. The first match was crucial in the setting of a tough pool where Scotland, the Springboks, and Ireland were vying for two positions. It was crucial to win the match against the Scots.
The ever-improving nature of Gregor Townsend’s crew was evident that day when the two teams battled in a vicious arm-wrestle. The Springboks pounded away at the Scots, who were unable to get through the South African defense, but it was a stunning kick from Manie Libbok that allowed Kurt-Lee Arendse to score and give the Springboks an 18-3 victory.
The first task was completed, which gave the Boks a good start going into their match with Romania. South Africa exploded into the scene in this match, collecting the fastest four-try bonus point in history in just 12 minutes. Meanwhile, scrum-half Cobus Reinach broke his own record from 2019 by a minute with a lightning-quick hat-trick. The score at the end of the game was 76-0.
After thereafter, focus shifted to the crucial summit meeting with Ireland. It was an incredible battle with plenty of physicality and significant moments, as would be expected. The Boks were under constant siege from the Irish, who prevailed in numerous crucial encounters. At the conclusion of the match, Ireland triumphed 13-8. As Libbok’s problems in front of goal persisted, South Africa left 11 points on the kicking tee, which was bittersweet for them.
The Springboks believed a bonus-point victory over Tonga would probably do the trick going into the final pool matches despite the several possible outcomes. The squad ultimately won 49-18, which at first glance appears to be a huge victory, but the result did not accurately reflect the ferocity and tenacity a powerful Tonga team provided. Perhaps this served as the best possible lead-up to the quarterfinals.
Les Bleus, who Dupont was scheduled to play against in the first round, announced that he would be healthy enough to play. The Test itself was a match for the ages, and the build-up between the hosts and the holders was fierce.
Throughout the entire game, which was loaded with tremendous hits and outstanding tries, the sides swapped blows. With hardly much time left, it appeared that the French had managed to get the better of the Springboks. Handre Pollard came to the fore and sank the go-ahead penalty from more than 50 meters away to secure a 29-28 victory. One of the game’s pivotal plays—and one that might have made the difference—was Cheslin Kolbe’s charge down of Thomas Ramos’ conversion attempt.

In the end, it was quite the reverse of what South African fans had hoped for when they faced an England squad that had been quietly improving in the semi-finals.
The coaches kept the same lineup, but the Springboks mostly came across as flat and lethargic rather than playing with energy. In the gloomy conditions, Owen Farrell was tactically savvy and very almost scored the winning goal for his team. His missed field goal might have been the final nail.
But winning teams always find a way, and that was the case in this instance. Early substitutions were made by the coaches, with Libbok being replaced by Pollard in the first period and the ‘Bomb Squad’ being introduced in the second. That was the distinction. While Ox Nche transformed into a bulldozer and crushed the English scrum, RG Snyman scored the game’s only try. It all prepared the ground for a significant event. Pollard took the ball again and scored the game-winning penalty in the 77th second. The Boks triumphed 16-15, committing daylight robbery.
The only side in the top six of the world rankings that the Springboks have yet to play in the tournament is the All Blacks.