
RUGBY REVIEW: Boks Win RWC, Gladiators Champs of MPD
YOKOHAMA — They started carving South Africa’s name into the Webb Ellis Cup with five minutes of the match remaining. This was as destructive a performance as you’ll ever see in the sport as South Africa suffocated and out-muscled England to win their third Rugby World Cup.
The true impact of this World Cup win for the Springboks and South Africa will only be quantifiable in time, but as Siya Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup into the Yokohama night sky, it capped one of the most remarkable sporting changes of form and fate in living memory.
Eighteen months ago, the Boks were sixth in the world and tonight, as those in green and gold cried, stared and roared in wonderful disbelieving ecstasy, Rassie Erasmus’ side hammered England 32-12 to cement their spot at the top of the rankings. As the podium was being built, the chant of ‘Rassie, Rassie’ came from the stands as the Class of 2019 joined those Springboks immortals from 2007 and 1995.
The historical merged with the present when Francois Pienaar, the 1995 captain, punched the air as Cheslin Kolbe danced past the prone Owen Farrell to score the try that was the championship-winning, definitive slam of the arm-wrestle. The Boks out-muscled and outplayed England, outscoring them two tries to nil in a win built on power over prowess.
South Africa have been unapologetic about their physical, route one style of rugby in this World Cup, and why shouldn’t they be? It’s proven to be the right cocktail to win the sport’s biggest prize in the past, too. Duane Vermeulen was immense as he steered a scrum that won six penalties to suffocate England and leave them heartbroken in a match they entered as favourites.
But make no mistake — England did not lose this match; the Springboks won it.
England threw absolutely everything at the Boks but found no way through the impenetrable wall, moulded by the Springboks’ mastermind Jacques Nienaber. There will be statues built of this team, but get that man to carve it — this defensive system was a masterpiece painted on granite. England did their best to force the same sort of openings they enjoyed against New Zealand, but the Boks’ defence was unrelenting and never once lost focus or offered an opportunity.
During the week, Erasmus said they would not alter their style or method of grinding out victories. They had seen off Wales 19-16 in the semifinal, and Erasmus even went as far as confirming they’d stick with the tried-and-tested for the final far earlier in the week than usual. They were confident in their system — one anchored around territory, forcing penalties and capitalising on mistakes.
Vermeulen was exceptional at No. 8 for the Boks, while Tendai Mtawarira and Frans Malherbe handed out all sorts of punishment in the scrum, a trend Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch continued. England were desperately unlucky to lose Kyle Sinckler after just three minutes due to a head knock. It unsettled them and the Boks took full advantage, winning five first-half penalties. This was a winning platform, giving them a 12-6 halftime lead, a spell which even saw them lose starting hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi and Lood De Jager to injury but which did not halt their bulldozing defence pushing England back.
As England continued to throw everything at the Springboks, referee Jerome Garces’ arm kept on reaching in the South Africans’ direction to award them penalties and England found themselves with a Sisyphean task. Handre Pollard finished with 22 points and their two wonderfully executed tries from Mapimpi — thanks to a gorgeous pass from Lukhanyo Am — and the brilliant Kolbe smashed the final nails home on this utterly brilliant work from Erasmus and his backroom staff.
There will now be no parade on Tuesday for England, but they can head back with pride restored. They were the youngest team ever in a World Cup final and will have their time again. England head coach Eddie Jones was the last to pick up the silver medal; he put it in his pocket. He will only look at it again in a quiet moment, but only after he departs England. He has a contract until 2021 — you imagine the RFU is readying the cheque book to keep him through to France 2023. “We’re kicking stones for the next four years” was Jones’ take on the pain the team will be feeling. As the 2015 crop know, pain can be the most powerful motivator and this team will have another shot at the World Cup.
But tonight and the next four years are South Africa’s. They have built a World Cup-winning side in the space of 18 months and brought pride back to the jersey. As the great Nelson Mandela once said, “sport has the power to change the world… sport can create hope where once there was despair,” and the Boks have frequently given their own figurative nod to this in the past week as they referenced the positive change a World Cup can bring to the country.
“It was my first World Cup as a coach and the first All Blacks game was a great test ground for us handling pressure,” said Erasmus, referencing their opening-weekend defeat by the defending champions in the pool phase. “We were terrible that week, we were tense and it was a terrible build up and that taught us how to handle the quarterfinal and semi.” It also makes South Africa the first team to win a World Cup having lost a match during the tournament. It brought perspective.
“In South Africa [pressure] is not having a job, having a close relative who is murdered,” added Erasmus. “Rugby should not create pressure, it should create hope. We have a privilege, not a burden.
“Hope is when you play well and people watch the game and have a nice brai [barbecue] and watch the game and no matter of political or religious difference for those 80 minutes, you agree when you usually disagree. That is our privilege and that was the way we tackled it.”
Whether this triumph will have a larger impact than the Mandela moment back in 1995 when he wore Pienaar’s jersey and handed the trophy to the main man, only time will tell. That generation and the 2007 immortals all predict the sight of Kolisi, South Africa’s first black captain, holding the trophy aloft will have an impact of unfathomable proportions and there are few more inspirational figures in the game than the Boks’ captain.
“We have so many problems in our country, a team like this — we come from different backgrounds, different races — and we came together with one goal,” Kolisi said, as the sweat and emotion merged into one beaming smile. “I really hope we have done that for South Africa, to show that we can pull together if we want to achieve something.”
World Cups are never won by the ‘wrong team.’ The eventual champion deserves every accolade. And in the most memorable of World Cups, this was a win for an entire country and the start of a remarkable legacy of a triumph built on pride, passion, trust and the power of 56 million people united behind one team. That, and one unbelievable defence.
Salt Lake Gladiators win Men’s Premier Division
In local rugby action, the Salt Lake Gladiators beat the Satlt Lake Spartans with a come-from-behind victory by the score of 37-31.
In what was a physical and back-and-forth match, the Gladiators were able to close out the victory and claim their first ever MPD title and take home the coveted Iosepa Shield and deny the Spartans their second.
The Warrior of the Match nod was given to Siaki Iosefa who was vital in his sides set piece play in the #4 jersey.
Warriors Nation would like to congratulate Coach Tauiautusa and his team on the victory!

Recent Posts
Warriors Win Another At Home
HERRIMAN — Utah Warriors coach Greg Cooper used the word ‘courage’ throughout
Utah Selects kick off season on Friday
HERRIMAN, Utah— The Utah Selects 2023 season will officially begin this Friday,
Van Den Berg records 50 caps ahead of New England match
HERRIMAN — Franco Van Den Berg recently recorded his 50th playing cap
W Nation: Ep 83 | Final 20 Explosion vs Toronto
On this week's episode of W Nation, Jarom Jordan and Bansky recap
Warriors take down Toronto 47-19 at home
HERRIMAN, Utah — Respect isn’t just given, it has to be earned,
News Tags
Archives
- March 2023 (13)
- February 2023 (8)
- January 2023 (4)
- December 2022 (3)
- November 2022 (5)
- October 2022 (6)
- September 2022 (7)
- August 2022 (8)
- July 2022 (7)
- June 2022 (2)
- May 2022 (10)
- April 2022 (13)
- March 2022 (16)
- February 2022 (13)
- January 2022 (11)
- December 2021 (2)
- November 2021 (5)
- October 2021 (4)
- September 2021 (3)
- August 2021 (9)
- July 2021 (18)
- June 2021 (30)
- May 2021 (23)
- April 2021 (15)
- March 2021 (13)
- February 2021 (3)
- January 2021 (2)
- December 2020 (3)
- November 2020 (12)
- October 2020 (13)
- September 2020 (5)
- August 2020 (8)
- July 2020 (1)
- June 2020 (4)
- April 2020 (3)
- March 2020 (7)
- February 2020 (13)
- January 2020 (3)
- December 2019 (3)
- November 2019 (7)
- October 2019 (8)
- September 2019 (1)
- August 2019 (1)
- July 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (3)
- May 2019 (10)
- April 2019 (12)
- March 2019 (5)
- February 2019 (6)
- January 2019 (4)
- December 2018 (3)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (3)
- May 2018 (8)
- April 2018 (5)
- March 2018 (6)
- February 2018 (6)
- January 2018 (3)
- December 2017 (8)
- November 2017 (5)
- October 2017 (2)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (1)