Springboks fall back on old recipe for World Cup success

Springboks fall back on old recipe for World Cup success

 

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi lifts the Webb Ellis Cup after the Springboks beat New Zealand to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup

The Webb Ellis Cup is raised by South Africa’s captain Siya Kolisi following the Springboks’ victory over New Zealand in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

As South Africa defeated France to win the Rugby World Cup twice in a row, defense, discipline, and set-piece expertise once more proved to be crucial.

With legendary captain Siya Kolisi leading the way, the Springboks defeated New Zealand 12–11 in a thrilling final to win a record fourth championship. The All Blacks were reduced to 14 men on 29 minutes after captain Sam Cane was sent off for a high tackle.

With a last-minute Handre Pollard penalty, the Boks defeated England 16-15 in the semifinals and hosts France 29-28 in the thrilling quarterfinal to win their third straight knockout match by a single point.

After missing the first cut due to injury, Pollard made an incredible comeback to the Bok squad, scoring four penalties in the championship to highlight the value of an accurate goal kicker.

Though they maintained their effective use of a bench heavy on forwards, dubbed the “bomb squad,” coach Jacques Nienaber and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who led South Africa to victory in Japan four years prior, insisted they were not “geniuses” when it came to selection.

The departing Nienaber stated, “From 2018 we thought we had the ability to win the 2023 World Cup.” The Boks will now need to rebuild for the upcoming World Cup in Australia in 2027, but they will undoubtedly rely on the cornerstone of their strategy.

Elevated anticipations. The Boks, who lost to Ireland in pool play, faced five of the other top six teams in the world rankings in France.

Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan (L) reacts after losing to New Zealand in the quarter-final

Ireland center back Hugo Keenan (L) responds to the quarterfinal loss to New Zealand.

The French and Irish, who won their pools and, most notably, defeated the All Blacks in the tournament’s opening match seven weeks prior, had high expectations.

Wales and England achieved a historic first-ever northern hemisphere group sweep by finishing first in their respective pools.

After that, there were two historic quarterfinals: New Zealand defeated Ireland in a matchup of the world’s top four teams, and the Boks defeated France. This was made possible by a lopsided draw in December 2020.

The highly anticipated Six Nations opener in Marseille on February 2 will now serve as the final that the French and sizable traveling Irish contingent desired.

Wales lost badly to Argentina, who then lost to England in the play-off for third place.

Consequently, the William Webb Ellis Cup remains in the southern hemisphere, with England being the only northern team to have won it in 2003.

Australia, which will host the 2027 World Cup, did not perform well in France, losing pool matches to Wales and Fiji and ultimately qualifying for an unprecedented early exit.

Rumors circulated that coach Eddie Jones, ever the irritable one, had held pre-tournament talks to succeed departing Japan coach Jamie Joseph.

Although Jones denied everything, his wife, who resides in Japan, was said to have resigned as the Wallabies coach on Sunday in order to give Rugby Australia every opportunity for the next four years.

A story with two levels

World Rugby president Bill Beaumont with the Webb Ellis Cup

Bill Beaumont, president of World Rugby, holding the Webb Ellis Cup

The tournament’s next edition will feature 24 teams instead of the current 20. This will allow more Tier II countries to participate, but it also increases the possibility of more lopsided outcomes.

Only Fiji, one of the Tier II countries in France, advanced to the knockout stages. En route, they defeated Australia in the pool for the first time in 69 years, but they were also defeated by Portugal.

In addition, World Rugby revealed plans to launch a new bi-annual international competition in 2026. This competition will feature a top division of 12 teams from the Rugby Championship in the southern hemisphere and the Six Nations.

To complete the dozen, two more nations—likely Japan and Fiji—will be invited. Games are scheduled for July and November.

A second division consisting of twelve teams will also exist, but promotion and relegation won’t start until 2030.

The agreement on the global calendars and their content, according to World Rugby President Bill Beaumont, represents “the most significant development in the sport since the game went professional”.

“(It is) a historic moment for our sport that sets us up collectively for success.”

Regarding World Rugby, the controversial matter of refereeing may be more urgent.

 

The implementation of a bunker system, which allows a television match official off-field to upgrade a yellow card to a red one—as happened to Cane in the championship—has generated controversy.

Different outcomes have been seen in the tackle officiating, which has left many teams and supporters angry at what they perceive to be unfair rulings.

“There are some issues with the game that need to be resolved,” stated Ian Foster, the coach of New Zealand.

“Those aren’t bitter grapes. Two distinct scenarios with distinct elements existed; one featured a red card (Cane), while the other featured a yellow card (Kolisi on Ardie Savea).

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