KANAGAWA, Japan: South Africa decimated England for a third Rugby World Cup triumph, bringing hope and glory home, on Saturday.
They upstaged England 32-12 in a display that was based on brute force and finished off with blinding speed.
The team appeared invincible from the start of the contest where they physically outgunned their opponent.
Dominant in the scrum and at the breakdown, the Springboks did what it always seems to do in a World Cup final – Win!
Since the triumphs of 1995 and 2007, this was perhaps one of the most unlikely triumphs given the depths to which South African rugby plunged last year.
Almost 12 months ago the Springboks ranked seventh in the world, its lowest position ever. On Saturday they climbed back to the top of the world.
This win was not by chance. This was a performance in which the Springboks won every big point, every big moment, dominating from the very first minute of the contest to the very last.
South Africa’s first-ever black skipper and captain, Siya Kolisi, said, “When I was a kid, there’s no way I would’ve dreamed of being Springbok captain,”
Kolisi, who grew up in the township of Zwide, was just 16 when South Africa won the Rugby World Cup 2007.
On Saturday, the man whose family did not own a television had his picture beamed across the world after leading his side to the World Cup glory.
“It is really special and it was more than just a game for us,” Kolisi told media after the game.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
