Follow live reaction from theRugby World Cupfinal afterEnglandandSouth Africawent head to head in Yokohama.
A tense arm wrestle delivered its critical moment in the 66 th minute when Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am combined brilliantly down the left wing for the first of the Springboks’ two tries. England’s defense was unlocked by the speed and accuracy of a move that saw Mapimpi cross to become the first Springbok to score a try in a World Cup final, although there was also a hint of a forward pass.
And with Eddie Jones’ men forcing their attack in desperate pursuit of an unlikely comeback win, wing Cheslin Kolbe switched on the afterburners to deliver the knockout punch with six minutes remaining.
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But let’s not end on the upset and heartbreak of the English. Instead, as Rassie Erasmus said, let’s reflect on the ‘privilege of hope’ that comes with South Africa’s victory and what it means for the country. It’s been an historic night for the Springboks, with the celebrations no doubt set to continue into the early hours of Sunday morning. Well *** deserved for all involved.
Thanks for tuning in today and throughout the World Cup as a whole. It’s been a blast!
And here’s Jonathan Liew’s piece from the match. Not a happy read for the England fans out there …
Here’s that moving and reflective speech from Rassie Erasmus. It was quite a moment from his press conference:
Some particularly important and eye-opening words from the South Africa coach:
Rassie Erasmus: “I just think the boys believed in themselves. A bunch of guys who’ve been together 19 weeks, who know one another really well. We’ve got so much respect for England. We were a little fortunate but we ‘re really enjoying it at this stage.
“We just needed to use our players, our intelligence, the supporters we have. There are so many good things in South Africa but so often in the past we looked at the bad things. We decided we needed to stay together and work really hard and eventually we’ve won the World Cup and it’s great.
“Thank you to Japan for the way they’ve hosted the World Cup, and to the Springbok supporters. We never felt lonely in Japan, we felt them all the way. There’s millions and we love them and we can’t wait to get back home. “
Match stats:
(England-South Africa)
56% – territory – 44%
56% – possession – 44%
173 – meters carried – 380
122 – runs – 89
135 – passes – 91
14 – defenders beaten – 12
95 – rucks won – 63
10 – penalties conceded – 8
98 – tackles – 154
12 – tackles missed – 14
John Smit, the 2007 South African World Cup- winning captain, has his say: “I’m not sure you can put it in to words. We’ve only won it twice before. For me, even as a guy who won it, this was a far bigger occasion because of where we’ve come from and where we’re going.I always thought, was it too much of a fairytale to see Siya lift that trophy? It couldn’t have come at a better time. This will have a significant impact on our country .
“For us in South Africa, it means so much more than just a team of 23. To 57 million people who are in a brand-new South Africa, for a team that used to represent segregation and now represents unity to be led by a black African man for the first time is more significant than anyone could imagine.
“I never in a million years imagined a margin and performance like that but this team has handled this rollercoatser so well. They acknowledge the responsibility they had and came out firing. Today was magical.”
“We’ll start planning for the British and Irish Lions,” says Erasmus. “I think it’s 614 days, or close to that.
“The next thing for us is trying to be consistent. We were up and down.
“[But] This year we played 12 games and lost one game.
“We want to go and get consistency and work towards the British and Irish Lions.”
“I’ve never seen such support for us,” says Kolisi. “I don’t think we could have done it without them.
” It means a lot. An absolutely amazing day for all of us as a country. “
More words from captain Siya Kolisi: “It is really special and it was more than just a game for us. We are really grateful to have our families here and all I want to do is to inspire my kids and every other kid in South Africa. I never dreamed of a day like this at all. When I was a kid all I was thinking about was getting my next meal.
“A lot of us in South Africa just need an opportunity and there are so many untold stories. I’m hoping that we have just given people a bit of hope to pull together as a country to make it better. “
On flying his dad to Japan for the final: “You can never forget where you come from or the people who have helped you get here so I just wanted to celebrate with him. I wish my brother and sisters were here. “
To paraphrase Commissioner Gordon: the hero we needed but probably didn’t deserve …
Here are some earlier words from South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus:
“It’s weird, I didn’t think two years ago we could realistically do it , but six months ago began to and four weeks ago I really did. I am so proud of the players and my country. We stand together, we really believed it and I am proud to be South African.
“The country have gone through some bad times, and we have over the last two years, but our challenge is to make South African rugby strong for the next six or seven years.
“I will make this my mission to make this a springboard to take it the right way. “
Jones is asked if the win over New Zealand, and how much effort and energy it will have drawn from his men, played a factor in England’s lackluster performance today.
“It could be a factor,” he admits. “I’m not sure why we didn’t play well today. It’s one of those things that happens. You can have the most investigative debrief of your game but sometimes you still won’t know.
“Massively disappointed but at the same time I’ve got massive admiration for the players.
” We came short today but it’s not because of the lack of effort. “
“We didn’t meet our goal,” says Eddie Jones in his post-match press conference. “Our goal was to be the best team in the world. We’re the second best.
” I thought that they played with a lot of passion and pride but they
“Why they fell short, I’m not sure.”
England’s players are making their way around the stadium, saying their thanks to all those here. They opted against bowing at the end of each previous match, having said they wanted to wait until their journey reached its end, but there time has now come.
Match preview:
When is it?
The Rugby World Cup final will kick off on Saturday 2 November at 9am BST (6pm Japan Standard Time).
Where can I watch it?
ITV1 will be broadcasting the match. Build-up starts at 7. 30 am. Alternatively, you can live stream it via the ITV Hub on your laptop, smartphone or tablet.
(Teams)
England XV:Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (captain), Jonny May, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Billy Vunipola, Sam Underhill, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola.
Replacements:Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Marler, Dan Cole, George Kruis, Mark Wilson, Ben Spencer, Henry Slade, Jonathan Joseph.
South Africa XV:Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain), Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn.
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