The All Blacks fell just short of their Rugby World Cup ambitions in a disappointing final that saw captain Sam Cane sent off in the first half. Cheree Kinnear and Elliott Smith unpack all the action from Stade de France.
Video / NZ Herald / Sky Sport
By Liam Napier in Paris
When the acute hurt eventually gives way to reflection, the crestfallen All Blacks will realise this was a Rugby World Cup final there for the taking.
Jason Ryan struggled to hold back tears. Sam Cane’s devastation was palpable. Raw emotion consumed the href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/all-blacks/" target="_blank">All Blacks as they struggled to process their heartbreaking 12-11 defeat to the Springboks at the sodden Stade de France.
In the immediate aftermath, the All Blacks vowed to rally around Cane after their captain laid bare the pain of collecting the first red card in a World Cup final for his shoulder-to-the-head contact on Springboks centre Jesse Kriel.
“At the time I wasn’t even aware, it caught me off guard that he stepped back. But we have been here for two months now and anything around the head has ramifications,” Cane said.
“I’m not here to discuss whether it was the right or wrong decision. It can’t be changed. Unfortunately, it is something I am going to have to live with forever.”
Cane’s split-second reaction undoubtedly cost the All Blacks. Alongside Shannon Frizell’s yellow card for an awkward cleanout two minutes into the final, those dismissals forced the New Zealand side to fight for 42 minutes with 14 men. Fight gallantly they did, but it wasn’t enough, with a lack of accuracy and finishing eluding them when it mattered most.
Debate will rage about whether Springboks captain Siya Kolisi got off lightly with a yellow card for his head-on-head contact with Ardie Savea early in the second half. On its pinnacle stage, rugby certainly left an overriding sense of frustration around consistency and overbearing TMO influence.
Sam Cane's yellow card was upgraded to a red following a review by off-field officials. Photo / Photosport
While Cane will carry a heavy burden for many years to come, All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor spoke with humility and honesty about the 28th-minute incident.
“He’ll be distraught but he’s our captain and he’s earned the right to have that banner,” Taylor said. “Rugby is a game of inches and milliseconds these days. Unfortunately, he was on the bad side of that. You’ve got to be clean but I feel for him. I know he’ll be really gutted.
“I don’t think words will be able to change the way he’s feeling, to be honest. Our country lives and breathes rugby and unfortunately he’s on the wrong side of an unfortunate event. I want New Zealand to get behind him. I bet there’s a lot of people out there saying a few negative things but he’s a top man, he puts his body on the line every time for the jersey - so stand by him, not against him.”
No one can question the heart and resolve of the way in which the All Blacks challenged and stretched the Springboks after Cane’s departure. They dominated the second half to hold the Springboks scoreless in that period and claim the game’s only try. They did everything but.
Defining moments proved costly, though. Dropped passes. Two missed kicks. Those regrets will haunt the All Blacks as much as anything.
No one portrayed the hurt more than forwards coach Ryan, as he choked back tears in the post-match mixed zone.
“Gutted. I’m really disappointed,” Ryan said. “You set yourself up at a World Cup to have a crack at a final. A bit of inaccuracy, cards and momentum shifts cost us. We talk a lot about care, especially in this World Cup. We just fell short.”
As the end of an era washes over the All Blacks, there is no fairytale finish. Ryan’s emotion overflowed as he reflected on those legendary figures.
Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Dane Coles, Nepo Laulala, Shannon Frizell, Leicester Fainga’anuku are departing; so, too, head coach Ian Foster and his assistants Joe Schmidt, Greg Feek and Scott McLeod.
“We’ll get around a lot of them,” Ryan said. “A lot of these All Blacks have been immortals. Sammy Whitelock, Colesy, Brodie, Nepo and a few others. They won’t get to pull the jersey on [again]. Just seeing them in the sheds is a tough one for me because I know how much they care. They’ve given so much and I’ve got so much respect for all those men.
“It’s going to take a while to get over. We’ll get through the next 48 hours and stick together as a team then head home and we’ll all go our separate ways.”
Foster acknowledged the Springboks for emerging from three successive knockout wins over France, England and the All Blacks by one-point margins to claim their fourth world title. While, understandably, he could not hide his resentment with elements of the officiating, Foster conceded the All Blacks, despite their numerical disadvantage, had ample dominance to clinch a courageous against-all-odds triumph.
“It was a pressure cooker environment and you could see players making errors they maybe wouldn’t normally. All you can ask is for a couple of opportunities in those tight tests. We gave ourselves every chance but it wasn’t to be,” Foster said. “We’re gutted sitting here. We desperately wanted to win but I’m equally proud.”
Briefly reflecting on his turbulent four-year tenure that concluded by exceeding all expectations at this tournament, only to fall agonisingly short of the ultimate redemption, Foster said he had experienced more highs than lows.
“I’ve been privileged to be part of a special group of people. What’s the highlights? Probably today. We lost but what you want as a coach is to get your team on the big stage and put your best foot forward. We didn’t get the result with the circumstances we had to adapt to but I couldn’t be more proud.”
Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.
