South Africa wins its fourth Rugby World Cup

Despite being the defending champions, South Africa went into Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris as underdogs, having last beaten the All Blacks in 1999. However, a narrow 12-11 victory gave the Springboks their fourth trophy, following those won in 1995, 2007 and 2019.

Saturday’s match was an encore of the 1995 final in Johannesburg, when South Africa was emerging from the apartheid nightmare.

The All Blacks were down a man 27 minutes into the first half when captain Sam Cane was red-carded for a dangerous tackle. In that scenario, Handré Pollard’s four penalties made the difference for the Springboks. Ironically, Pollard was called into the team at the last minute before the tournament to replace the injured Malcolm Marx.

The Springboks became the team with the most World Cup titles, surpassing the All Blacks’ three. The champions had already defeated France by one point in the quarterfinals and England by one point in the semifinals.

Among those cheering on the winners was tennis legend Roger Federer, now retired, who wore a Springbok scarf as a tribute to his South African mother.
Absent from the 1987 and 1991 tournaments due to its apartheid policies, Nelson Mandela’s South Africa made its first World Cup appearance in 1995. It beat New Zealand 15-12 in the final in Johannesburg.

In Japan in 2019, South Africa beat England 32-12 to win the title.

Read more: https://es.mercopress.com/2023/10/30/sudafrica-gana-su-cuarta-copa-del-mundo-de-rugby