SOUL OF THE SPORT: There was euphoria for South Africa as they beat New Zealand to win the Rugby World Cup. KEVIN QUIGLEY was in Paris to photograph the Springboks making history by defending their title
- South Africa won again by one point and retained the title they won against England in 2019
- The Springboks became the first country to win the World Cup four times and made history
- New Zealand will have to wait another four years as they regret the sending off of captain Sam Cane
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Welcome back to the soul of sport. For our latest episode of the series, KEVIN QUIGLEY was at the Rugby World Cup final in Paris.
South Africa emerged victorious, defending their title by one point against New Zealand in a thrilling final that certainly lived up to expectations.
Sam Cane’s red card was the talk of the game as the All Blacks captain was given his marching orders for a head clash with Jesse Kriel.
But ultimately it was opposition captain Siya Kolisi who lifted another World Cup trophy before paying tribute to his country and his outgoing head coach Jacques Nienaber, who is leaving his post to join Leinster following his recent success.
Our man captured the best moments in the stadium, including the build-up, blood, sweat and tears on that first night of the sport, which ended in success for the Springboks.
South Africa got to know the Webb Ellis Cup quite well and became the first country to win the World Cup four times
There were cheers all around as the Springboks prevailed again and retained the trophy they won against England in 2019
After the game there was a lot of excitement on the field from the players’ families – captain Siya Kolisi said the team’s motivation was driven by the memory of home
A day to forget for New Zealand captain Sam Cane, who became the first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final
New Zealand will be back in 2027, but defeat by a point in the final in Paris will be an overcoming for the All Blacks
South African scrum-half Faf de Klerk cried after securing his second consecutive World Cup triumph
The moment of pure euphoria as the South African players realized they had defended the Rugby World Cup by a point
South African Handre Pollard suffered a nasty cut on his cheek as blood, sweat and tears were shed in Paris
For the All Blacks, it is exactly what could have been and after the final whistle, regret was written all over the players’ faces
For some New Zealanders it was the last chance for success, including Aaron Smith (centre), who led the pre-match haka