All Blacks v South Africa result, Rugby World Cup 2023 final
The All Blacks have fallen just short of a fourth Rugby World Cup title, going down to the Springboks 12-11 in the final in Paris after captain Sam Cane was sent off in the first half.
Despite playing with 14 men for 50 minutes, the All Blacks had a chance late to take the lead when a Jordie Barrett penalty attempt from wide on halfway drifted left of the posts.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane speaks on his red card:
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How the world's media reacted:
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Gregor Paul: Mad, memorable final also a sad day for rugby
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"If the final was about being brave to the core, fighting to the bitter end against all the odds, then the champions would have been New Zealand."
Liam Napier: 'One point separates heartbreak and ecstasy at Stade de France.'
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That'll do it for the NZ Herald's live blog of Rugby World Cup final 2023
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It's been an absolute pleasure to have you all on board for this final and for all the other matches of this wonderful World Cup. The Herald will have mountains more analysis and reaction to follow so stay with us!
This has been Will Toogood steering you though - Mā te wā, see you next time!
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Foster on the TMO:
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"We got the same behaviour from that TMO that we got in the Irish series last year, same TMO. So, we expected what we got."
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Missed chance
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Jordie Barrett joins Andrew Mehrtens and François Trinh-Duc as players to miss late chances at goal to take the lead in World Cup finals.
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“If there is a plastic bag blowing across the field, he’ll chase it.” Springboks coach Nienaber on Peter-Steph du Toit.
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Jeff Wilson: "I wondered if we'd have a game like this in the World Cup, it's just unfortunate it had to be the final."
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Again on tackles made. Franco Mostert with 16 and 100% success rate - immense.
Tackling stats via World Rugby
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Eight Springboks made more tackles than the All Blacks best.
Beauden Barrett - who now as a complete set of World Cup medals
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"Proud...gutted...it was right there. But proud because we believed the whole game. At halftime, with 14 men we knew we had this game we had plenty of opportunities. We've got a hell of a group. We worked so hard. The last 16 months had been huge for us. Just wasn't our night tonight."
Sam Whitelock after playing his final test
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"Everyone is obviously gutted as you can imagine. I know everyone back home will be gutted just as much as we are. You can't fault the effort. The boys worked hard out there tonight and we just weren't good enough to get one point. It's going to hurt for a very long long time."
Hats off to this man, what an All Blacks career.
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Sam Cane on the red card tackle
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"Not unlucky. We know that collisions need to be low. If anything I got caught a bit surprised that he stepped back in my direction. It's no excuse. We've been here for two months and we've seen how things have been ruled. Hugely disappointed."
Sam Cane continues
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"So gutted. So proud of how far we've come. It hurts so much to fall at the final hurdle and probably the style that we did."
Sam Cane talking to Sky Sport
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"Obviously so many s*** emotions, on a personal level and on behalf of the team. Mixed in there is a heck of a lot of pride with the way the boys fought out there tonight, gave ourselves an opportunity. They're just a bunch of warriors."
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To win a World Cup final while not scoring a point from the 34th minute is truly remarkable.
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On the other side of the coin, South Africa made 209 tackles to 91 made by New Zealand.
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South Africa missed 36 tackles and still came out on top. New Zealand missed 13.
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In the last ten minutes, South Africa had 94% territory.
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Player of the Match du Toit made 28 tackles, yes, 28.
Ian Foster on whether the All Blacks got the rub of the green
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"Ahhh, I don't think we did. Sadly in that first half we were pretty frustrated with a number of things that were happening. Finals football, you've got to make your own luck. We weren't getting any handed to us...so to come back and do what we did I thought speaks volumes where this group is at and how much we wanted it for the country."
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France, England and now New Zealand will rue games that got away from them against South Africa.
Ian Foster
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"We had a lot of momentum in that second half. I can't ask for a lot more from them. I thought we did everything we can, but South Africa are a strong team. They did well and deserved the win."
Ian Foster
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"It's heartwrenching really. I saw a team that really wanted it. We gave everything. The red card really put us behind the eight-ball but I was just so proud of the way we hung in there and really fought our way back."
Congratulations South Africa - World Cup champions!
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Siya Kolisi takes the stage, receives his medal and now for the second time he will lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
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You really do see how many people it takes to put a rugby team together - great to see them all collect medals for their efforts.
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Rassie Erasmus collects his medal.
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The rain begins to fall heavily now.
Farewell, Sam.
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Now the Springboks will collect their golds and eventually the Webb Ellis Cup.
How relieved must this man be?
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And the All Blacks now will collect their silver medals - led by captain Sam Cane.
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Officials now collect their medals.
Sam Cane continues
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"The whole team are absolute warriors and look it's tough. I'd like to say well done to South Africa - back to back. They've been a fantastic team, they've had a tough road to the final and they showed time and time again they find a way to win."
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Nice to see Aaron Smith and his son - smile on his face as his soaks his final moments in a black jersey. Ngā mihi nui ki a koe.
Sam Cane
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"Obviously extremely gutted and disappointed. First of all that the team had to play the final with 14 men for the last 50-odd minutes. I thought the courage they showed out there tonight was incredible."
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Siya Kolisi
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"There is no way I can explain it in words. Credit to the All Blacks. They took us to the end, they took us to a dark place. It just shows what kind of team they are to fight to the end with a man down from early in the game and they fought and they put us under pressure."
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Siya Kolisi: "It's not just about the game."
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South Africa now the second nation to defend a men's Rugby World Cup.
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Ecstasy v Agony
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South Africa won all three of their knockout matches by one point.
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Player of the Match: Peter-Steph du Toit. What an effort from the man.
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New Zealand were far too loose with their ball security and discipline - it cost them in the end.
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Four cards, one try. South Africa held scoreless in the second half but that's what they do - they find a way to win.
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So , so, so much to talk about with this final.
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12-11 final score.
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Four-time champions now the Springboks!
Full time!
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Scrum is won by SA! They have it now and the ball is unplayable from the ruck! Wayne Barnes blows his whistle and SA win the World Cup!
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Here we go again, seven seconds on the clock.
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SA doing well to waste the seconds here.
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Huge scrum from NZ but Barnes blows for a reset!
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Clock is back on.
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De Klerk will feed.
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Finally we pack down.
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23 seconds are on the clock.
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One scrum to rule them all.
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Right hand side, close to the touchline.
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SA ball now on their 22m line, huge scrum here the World Cup is on the line.
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30 seconds to go!
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And NZ break down the left but it's knocked on again!
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It's stolen by SA! But they kick it back to McKenzie!
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They're over half way now, working to the right and making inches as they go.
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They make a half break down the right! Up now to halfway.
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Up they go, outside the 22m now and making slow ground.
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Lineout to NZ! They work to the left now from their own 22m.
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Crashed up, good momentum to the 22m. Christie box kicks and it's charged by de Klerk.
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Scrum outside the 22m - right hand touch, NZ ball.
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Knocked on by SA! Three minutes to go now.
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B Barrett slams a kick down to Pollard who runs it back up to the 22m.
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It's secured by NZ and they will have to go all the way from their 22m line.
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Drop goal is charged!
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They find space but a good tackle is made, they come back to the right now and rumble up to the 22m.
Liam Napier’s match report
Dashed dreams for the courageous All Blacks. A record fourth global title for the Springboks by the barest of margins after a controversy and card filled World Cup final.
One point separates heartbreak and ecstasy at Stade de France as the ultimate redemption fell out of reach for the All Blacks.
As they have throughout their journey to this pinnacle juncture the All Blacks dug to the depths of adversity after battling for 42 minutes with 14 men following Sam Cane’s red card and Shannon Frizell’s yellow - both in the first half.
Ian Foster’s men never stopped believing. They pushed forward and constantly chased victory to hold the Springboks scoreless in the second half.
In the end, though, they could not land the final definitive blow to steal the Webb Ellis Cup.
A rumble in the Paris rain gave way to a gripping second half epic as the All Blacks refused to surrender. They embraced ambition and intent but finishing eluded them.
The devastating defeat marks the end of an era for departing legends Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, and Dane Coles as well as Nepo Laulala, Shannon Frizell and Leicester Fainga’anuku - all of whom now leave the All Blacks.
Ian Foster and his coaching team, including Joe Schmidt, Grek Feek and Scott McLeod, conclude their tenures with silver medals too.
Questions and what if moments will long linger.
Cheslin Kolbe’s yellow card for an intentional knock-on with eight minutes remaining left the Springboks wing inconsolable. Kolbe handed Jordie Barrett a 50-metre penalty on the angle to push the All Blacks in front for the first time in the match but the strike sailed agonisingly the left of the posts.
Kolbe couldn’t watch the closing stages as Damian McKenzie attempted to spark the All Blacks’ last-ditch counter attack but the Boks held on.
Cane’s red card will haunt the All Blacks after they dominated the second half. Had they retained their full contingent, they could have prevailed.
While unfortunate, in the current climate there is no debating Cane’s dismissal. In a sloppy rather than malicious tackle Cane made direct shoulder to head contact with Jesse Kriel. From the moment referee Wayne Barnes flashed the yellow, it was inevitable that would be upgraded to red.
From the 28th minute on that forced the All Blacks to battle without their captain.
Controversy, however, surrounds a similar incident involving Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.
With the All Blacks firmly on the back foot, Kolisi turned the contest five minutes into the second spell with a tackle on Ardie Savea. Kolisi’s head clattered into Savea’s to earn him a yellow card that should have resulted in two captains being sent off in a World Cup final.
Somehow, on review, the TMO found mitigation that did not upgrade Kolisi to a red.
With Kolisi off the field, the All Blacks pressed forward in a high-stakes drama-filled period. They turned down two shots at goal to kick for the corner - only to squander those crucial chances with errors.
Richie Mo’unga produced a piece of superb individual brilliance with a majestic 40-metre skip to the outside that sent Aaron Smith over and had the All Blacks coaching box on their feet. Before Mo’unga could convert, though, the try was ruled out for Boks lock Eben Etzebeth forcing an illegal mistake at the lineout.
When Kolisi returned, a chorus of boos rang out, but the All Blacks kept coming.
Eventually, finally, they had their reward with Mark Telea showcasing his elusive qualities to break free and pop a desperate pass for Beauden Barrett to score the game’s only try.
The Boks, though, ultimately clung to their one-point lead.
Like Santa and the Grinch, the contrast in styles could not have been starker.
While the All Blacks attacked with everything they had, South Africa repeatedly attempted long range drop kicks, scrummed, mauled and kicked for territory.
South Africa’s fourth world title - and back-to-back after their 2019 triumph - was earned the hard way with three successive knockout wins by one point. France, England and the All Blacks are all left to rue matches that got away.
While it will never win any beauty contests, the Boks once again proved their style is built for World Cup success.
The All Blacks will rue their first-half discipline and inaccuracy too.
After four yellow cards and one red at the World Cup prior to this match, the All Blacks were well aware of the need to avoid similar instances. In the first half at least, they didn’t achieve that.
Frizell’s yellow card in the second minute for a neck role - that ended South African hooker Bongi Mbonambi’s night due to a knee injury - cost the All Blacks six points but, the greater impact came in forcing them to tighten up and play into the Boks hands.
One man short, the All Blacks lacked the confidence to attack. They instead trucked it up close to the ruck, charging into the heart of the Boks defence, and kicked to avoid being camped in their half. When they should have been testing South Africa’s legs by chasing the width and playing with speed, the All Blacks felt they had to revert into a conservative shell.
The All Blacks had limited chances to strike in the first half. Jordie Barrett’s chip didn’t bounce favourable for Ardie Savea and, in the best chance of the first half, Kurt-Lee Arendse pulled off a try-saving on Rieko Ioane in the corner. The All Blacks’ World Cup leading lineout faltered on two costly occasions and handling also let them down,
Etzebeth was fortunate to escape a cynical yellow card for lazy running that interfered with a pass while the All Blacks attacked South Africa’s line.
Otherwise, though, the All Blacks were largely under the pump.
Springboks loose forward Pieter-Steph Du Toit was a man possessed, crunching Mo’unga and everything in his sight all night. In Cane’s absence, Savea stood tall.
Fine margins often define World Cup finals. This one will be remembered for the same knife-edge drama.
A successful kick here, a lower tackle there, and the result could be very different.
The Springboks, though, reign supreme for another four years.
All Blacks: Beauden Barrett try, Richie Mo’unga pen 2
Springboks: Handre Pollard pen 4
HT: 12-6