You can always follow all the latest news & opinion on our social media channels:
& 
& 
International Stadium Yokohama - Saturday, 02 November 2018
KO: 18:00 HT: 6-12 Att: 70,103
 |
HEAD TO HEAD
|
 |
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE…
England vs Boks we are just 15 minutes from KO at #RWCYokohama for the greatest sporting event of the decade! The Rugby World Cup Final 2019 🙊 🙈
England vs Boks The tension is insane. The Boks have come off the pitch in their glorious cerise and navy training kit, looking very Stade Français
England vs Boks Hope your fridges are full, bars are stocked, glasses are charged, wherever in the world you are tuning in 🍺🍻🍷🍸
England vs Boks The teams are out to the sound of those incredible Japanese drums, and it's anthem time at Yokohama after the moment's silence for Typhoon Hagibis...
England 0-0 Boks 0mins Brace yourselves - we have KO from #RWCYokohama and it's Handré Pollard on the boot...
England 0-0 Boks 1min England take the ball in and Ben Youngs kicks it back up to halfway, the Boks take the ball to the England 10m and Courtney Lawes is pinged at the breakdown…
England 0-0 Boks 2mins Pollard tees up from just inside halfway for the first points of the match, but he pushes it wide
England 0-0 Boks 2mins George Ford clears England's lines all the way to Pollard from his 22 and the Boks run the ball from halfway toward the 10m, but the whistle has gone for Kyle Sinckler juddering to the ground injured and the medics are on
England 0-0 Boks 2mins Doesn't look like any foul play - he was knocked out cold but he's awake and he'll be driven off the pitch for Dan Cole to replace him; a huge blow to England already
England 0-0 Boks 2mins Joe Marler is prepping Cole on the sideline, aiding his warm up, and all 29 players now wait and have to stay on the edge despite the delay; Sinckler's sitting up and looking bright - and is walking off the pitch
England 0-0 Boks 3mins It's a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) Sinckler won't come back from because he was knocked out; Cole on, but the scrum is set for the Boks...
England 0-0 Boks 4mins It's quick ball for Faf de Klerk and he allows the Boks to attack deep into England territory and they drive into the 22 - but are turned over 5m short of the whitewash
England 0-0 Boks 5mins That's not an easy escape for England and still in the 22 Ben Youngs can't kick to touch so he thumps it ahead for the Boks to attack back directly
England 0-0 Boks 6mins An excellent assault from the Boks keeping England on the back foot pinned in their own half, but captain Siya Kolisi knocks on the ball for an England penalty
England 0-0 Boks 7mins It's an England defensive scrum just inside their 22 which collapses - these packs are huge and the best scrummagers in the world
England 0-0 Boks 8mins The scrum is reset and Billy Vunipola runs the ball away from the pack, but his pass is poor and captain Owen Farrell is forced to infringe at the breakdown by not releasing to hand over a penalty in his 22
England 0-3 Boks 9mins Faz smiles wryly as he knows he's been pinged for holding on; Pollard punishes him with the first points on the board - he couldn't have missed that blindfolded
England 0-3 Boks 10mins The restart has England with a 10m attacking lineout and they retain possession for the setpiece, but Youngs passes badly from the breakdown giving possession back to the Boks, albeit in their own half
England 0-3 Boks 11mins Uneven reffing from Garcès as he allows Eben Etzebeth to not release the ball at the breakdown; despite Maro Itoje's best efforts the penalty goes to the Boks and it's another scrum
England 0-3 Boks 13mins As is always the case with Ref Garcès , the scrum takes an age to be set before the Boks come away with the ball but are deftly turned over and Ford clears over halfway...
England 0-3 Boks 14mins ...the ball is kicked right back and into touch for a midfield lineout for England - but it's not good and the ball is disrupted smartly...
England 0-3 Boks 15mins A brief time off before the Boks have the scrum on their 10m - and it collapses, Boks warned for early engagement as Swing Low deafens the stadium
England 0-3 Boks 16mins The scrum goes down without the ball not put in but the penalty is given to the Boks regardless - Mako Vunipola the guilty party allegedly, despite the Boks pushing early again
England 0-3 Boks 18mins It's a Bok lineout in the midfield and they have to fight hard to retain the ball from the drive - they do and make just a few yards but Jonny May is all over the ball
England 0-3 Boks 18mins The ball is box kicked away by Youngs and Pollard is under it but Pieter Steph du Toit is offside and hands England the penalty
England 0-3 Boks 20mins Youngs kicks the Boks back into their 22 for an attacking lineout and they operate the setpiece much more efficiently this time on far touch, and play the ball wide into the midfield on the Bok 22...
England 0-3 Boks 20mins The Bok defence is solid and a penalty is won by England, Faz teeing up wide of centre on the 22; Mbongeni Mbonambi is arguing with the Doc that he need not go off for an HIA - Doc's not having it
England 0-3 Boks 21mins Time is off and Faz has to wait as the Doc is back on as Lood de Jager is down injured too having been Vunipola'd - and he's off too, obviously in pain in his torso
England 3-3 Boks 22mins Time's back on, Malcolm Marx and Franco Mostert are on for Mbongeni Mbonambi and de Jager; Faz punches over the three points to equalise the scoreboard
England 3-3 Boks 23mins Boks win the restart battle and have an attacking scrum on the England 22; England are pinged at the scrum even though it's the Boks that stand up, and the Boks attack, but Makazole Mapimpi knocks on...
England 3-6 Boks 24mins But advantage was being played so the penalty is for Pollard and he ups the ante on England, doubling the Bok score to take the lead again
England 3-6 Boks 26mins From the restart, England have a lineout on halfway - nothing clever, just short and efficient but Ford clears too far and the Boks have possession again
England 3-6 Boks 27mins But it's time off as the medics are out for Etzebeth again and the Boks have a quick meeting, before a Bok lineout just inside the England half
England 3-6 Boks 28mins The lineout is good but Sam Underhill plays havoc with the Bok assault, catching them unawares and Mako V helps the cause before the Boks are pinged for offside
England 3-6 Boks 29mins Youngs clears for a 22 lineout - play is halted while Mako V sorts out his contact lens - and then the setpiece is won and England breach the Bok 22 on the far side...
England 3-6 Boks 30mins Bok defence is just so solid and efficient but the England boys drive slowly and steadily to within 2 metres of the whitewash, advantage being played...
England 3-6 Boks 31mins ...England 17 phases in and they are within 1 metre of the tryline - but that Bok defence is immense!
England 3-6 Boks 32mins So close but England can't find a way through so the kick goes crossfield for Anthony Watson but he is shutdown...26 phases! 🙈
England 3-6 Boks 33mins The ball is knocked on and Ref Garcès blows for the penalty for England, claiming only two penalties were from the Boks - watching the match at close range - there were a lot more 🙄
England 6-6 Boks 34mins Regardless, Faz equalises off the boot and we're all square again, England having found their game a little more toward the end of this half, with better ball handling and intent than the first half hour
England 6-6 Boks 36mins Boks attack hard from the restart and with advantage being played, Duane Vermeulen is awesome for the Boks at the expense of an injury; Pollard tees up...
England 6-9 Boks 38mins ...and he strikes the ball perfectly to splice the uprights from out wide; England - like so many teams - gain three points and immediately hand over a penalty from the restart 🙄
England 6-9 Boks 39mins England have to turnover the Boks if they are to come back from this before HT, but a penalty comes for the Boks again on the England 10m
England 6-9 Boks 40+1mins It's an attacking scrum for the Boks and they win the ball, and assault with no hesitation, England again on the backfoot while the HT gong has long gone
England 6-12 Boks 40+2mins The Boks run it toward the 22 with advantage being played, and the penalty comes for Pollard to punish with another 3 points before the HT whistle is blown
England 6-12 Boks HT P: Farrell (2) | P: Pollard (4)
England 6-12 Boks HT Ref calls are definitely going the way of the Boks, but England aren't the team that smashed All Blacks last week, and are going to have to find a new gameplan if they are to reverse the score in their favour
England 6-12 Boks HT No team has ever won a World Cup coming from behind at half time. And the Boks are winning the battle up front so far. But if any team in the world can turn the tables, it's Eddie Jones' England
England 6-12 Boks HT England have to sharpen up all their setpiece work, because so far it's been unimpressive. The Boks just need to switch up a gear and they have it in the bag...
England 6-12 Boks HT England have made a change with George Kruis on for Lawes - astute move...
England 6-12 Boks 40mins England kick off the second half and Pollard calls the mark...
England 6-12 Boks 40mins ...and he clears to the midfield for a halfway England lineout - immediately the setpiece is improved with Kruis
England 6-12 Boks 41mins England hang on to possession despite Kolisi being a terrier at every opportunity; Ford clears from his own half but it's kicked straight back
England 6-12 Boks 42mins This time England run the ball through Tom Curry to Watson but the rush defence from the Boks -especially de Klerk- is lightning fast and England only reach halfway
England 6-12 Boks 43mins Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch come on for The Beast and Frans Malherbe before the Boks set a scrum on halfway
England 6-12 Boks 44mins Mako V knows there is a huge problem here, and Joe Marler is warming up on the sidelines after the Boks win the scrum penalty and Pollard is teeing up again
England 6-15 Boks 45mins Pollard strikes the ball perfectly from all but halfway and suddenly England have more than a score to make up...
England 6-15 Boks 46mins England's restart is good and they drive to the Bok 22 - but the defence is just unstoppable from the Boks and du Toit affects the turnover again
England 6-15 Boks 47mins Despite Marler replacing Mako V, the Boks win their defensive scrum and clear for an attacking lineout...
England 6-15 Boks 48mins Boks win the lineout but England deftly turnover the ball at their drive, Youngs geeing up his boys with the little win
England 6-15 Boks 49mins Before England's only second scrum, Henry Slade replaces Ford and there's a midfield shuffle, and immediately the England pack are victorious, Swing Low drowning out all other sounds in the stadium
England 9-15 Boks 51mins The penalty for England is on the Bok 10m just off centre and Faz splices the uprights with perfection
England 9-15 Boks 51mins Half an hour to go and only a converted try separates these two worthy finalists of the greatest sport on earth...
England 9-15 Boks 52mins The restart is good for England as they clear the Boks out from their half and Curry is monstrous at the breakdown back in Bok territory...
England 9-15 Boks 54mins The penalty for Faz is on the Bok 10m, but wide just in from touch, the deafening 'Swing Low' drops to silence and the ball head for the right post, but it falls just the wrong side
England 9-15 Boks 55mins Bok 22 dropout is steady and accurate and play shifts back to halfway, the ball kicked well by Willie le Roux but Elliot Daly's return isn't impressive 🙄
England 9-18 Boks 57mins Boks clear for an attacking lineout and it's good, while England are pinged for offside and Pollard can move the score outside of a converted try from the in front of the posts - and he does
England 9-18 Boks 58mins However, the Boks are pinged for offside immediately from the restart, and Faz is teeing up from the 22 just off centre...
England 12-18 Boks 59mins We're back to within the score from Faz's boot while Mark Wilson and Luke Cowan-Dickie replace Underhill and Jamie George | RG Snyman on for Etzebeth
England 12-18 Boks 60mins LCD proves his mettle immediately with a solid lineout for England, Boks winning the ball back but are pinned in their own half
England 12-18 Boks 61mins However, Watson is guilty of shoulder-knocking Mapimpi off his line and hands another penalty to Pollard 🙄
England 12-18 Boks 62mins Pollard tees up from inside his own half, and the thud is a good indication that it's going to fall awfully short of the uprights
England 12-18 Boks 63mins Kolisi is replaced by Francois Louw while the Boks win a midfield lineout on the nearside, and the ball is hurled across the park high, Mapimpi given the benefit of the doubt under high ball over Daly
England 12-18 Boks 65mins It's another Bok scrum in an attacking position on England's 10m, and they make 10m and Pollard chips overhead for Daly gets his hands to the ball as a result and shifts the play direction toward halfway, Youngs clearing...but...
England 12-23 Boks 65mins ...possession changes hands again and the ball is offloaded deftly from Lukhanyo Am to Marx to Mapimpi which chips overhead, chases and collects to run in the first try of the match! But...
England 12-23 Boks 66mins ...the TMO has a look to check Am wasn't offside at his offload - he wasn't (ish) and the try is awarded
England 12-25 Boks 67mins Pollard adds the conversion while Frans Steyn replaces le Roux
England 12-25 Boks 69mins England do well from the restart and Watson makes a superb break along touch breaching the 22, but as he is taken down by du Toit, a knock on halts the momentum
England 12-25 Boks 70mins It's a Bok scrum in their own 22 near touch, and after Jonathan Joseph replaces May, the scrum has to be reset...
England 12-25 Boks 71mins de Klerk get the ball ahead a couple of yards before he clears it away, pushing England back up to 10m to start their assault again
England 12-25 Boks 72mins The ball is carried back to the 22 before England again lose possession and Steyn thumps it back to halfway, clearing the England team way back with efficiency
England 12-30 Boks 73mins England just can't get a foothold, Slade is walloped to drop the ball, it's hurled out to Cheslin Kolbe; Faz can't stop him and he races in to score a magnificent second try and the #RWC2019 for South Africa
England 12-32 Boks 74mins Pollard adds the extras and the Boks are worthy winners since there is just no way England can come back from this
England 12-32 Boks 75mins Final week call-up Ben Spencer comes on for the last 5 minutes of the game, replacing Youngs at scrum half
England 12-32 Boks 76mins Meanwhile, the restart is far better for the Boks than it is for England and the South Africans are on the assault again already, with de Klerk replaced by Herschel Jantjies
England 12-32 Boks 77mins Duane Vermeulen is rightly named Man of the Match while the Boks set another attacking scrum on the England 22...
England 12-32 Boks 78mins The World Rugby engraver is already etching 'South Africa' on the Webb Ellis Cup while the Boks continue to attack, Pollard fluffing a drop goal
England 12-32 Boks 79mins The Boks on the bench are rightly celebrating their win while the Boks run the ball into the England 22, defensive hits still coming in but not enough to turn over possession...
England 12-32 Boks 80mins ...and the Boks are keeping it tight and await to hear that gong before Jantjies offloads to Pollard further back who thumps the ball into touch for the Championship!
England (6) 12 - 32 (12) Boks FT Simply massive congratulations to the Springboks who outplayed England Rugby in every aspect of the match. A well deserved victory for the Boks and for South Africa
-
South Africa have won their third Webb Ellis Cup (following 1995 and 2007), joining New Zealand on a record three World Cups.
-
The Springboks became the first team to lift the Webb Ellis Cup despite suffering defeat at some point in their campaign. The 2019 Boks lost their opener against the All Blacks.
-
Teams representing the southern hemisphere have now won eight of nine World Cups.
-
South Africa became the first team to win the Rugby Championship (or Tri Nations) and the Rugby World Cup in the same year.
-
South Africa have won the Rugby World Cup every 12 years since first participating in 1995.
-
England became the second country to lose three World Cup finals, after France.
-
A 20-point margin of victory is the biggest since 1999 when Australia beat France 35-12. The 1987 final was also won by 20 points with New Zealand beating France 29-9.
-
Frans Steyn became the 21st player to win a second World Cup and joins Os du Randt (1995, 2007) as the only players to win RWCs 12 years apart.
-
Handré Pollard raised his career RWC points total to 162 and moved into outright seventh place past Scotland's Chris Paterson. Andrew Mehrtens is next on 163.
-
Pollard improved the record for most points by a Springbok in a World Cup final, the 15 by Joel Stransky in 1995, to 22.
-
Pollard scored six penalty goals, one shy of the record by a player in an RWC final. Australia's Matt Burke landed seven in 1999. Burke was the only player to score more points in an RWC final (25).
-
Pollard finished as the leading points scorer in the tournament, on 69 points.
-
Owen Farrell became the 10th player to score 900 points in international rugby, finishing on 906. Farrell has scored 875 for England and 31 for the British and Irish Lions.
-
Makazole Mapimpi became the first Springbok to score a try in an RWC final. All of their RWC final points before that had come from penalties or drop goals.
-
Makazole Mapimpi has scored nine of his 14 career test tries in Japan, most by any test player not representing the Brave Blossoms.
-
Makazole Mapimpi joined Wales's Josh Adams on 10 test tries in 2019, most by any player in this calendar year.
-
Mapimpi has exactly 14 tries in 14 test appearances. Bryan Habana had 15 after 14 test appearances for the Springboks.
-
Cheslin Kolbe returned from injury to score his third try of RWC 2019.
