Chris Rattue runs through the best and worst from the Rugby World Cup final.
WINNERS: South Africa (obviously) and their rugby brain power
The Springboks are the greatest World Cup team in history because they have overtaken New Zealand in the rugby intelligence department.
We like to portray South Africa as rugby behemoths and forget about their brilliant strategies.
And South Africa would love us to keep thinking that way because it will enable them to keep leaping ahead.
We once led the game through rugby brains and for a long time wiped the floor with South Africa at all professional levels.
But no more.
South Africa have thought their way out of a giant hole, to win consecutive world crowns.
They took the variables out of a coaching change by allowing Rassie Erasmus to control operations in a groundbreaking overlord role.
They have also powered up their forward pack, which is essential for the stresses of the World Cup tournament.
And yet they play different types of rugby and, aided by a mid-tournament substitution, re-wrote their game plan in France.
The Boks actually have good options in their pack - small forwards Kwagga Smith and Deon Fourie were pivotal to their success.
They have retained traditional strengths and added innovative edges, such as the Bomb Squad, developing a hybrid hooker-loose forward, and opting for scrums from marks.
They don’t stand on ceremony when it comes to team selections, picking for the task at hand the way football managers do.
More than anything, their extraordinary captain Siya Kolisi understands the power of representation, using South Africa’s plight as a nation to inspire his team and vice versa.
The All Blacks only lost the final by a point, but they are lucky that injured hooker Malcolm Marx wasn’t playing.
New Zealand rugby is best advised to turn a deaf ear to the inevitable referee-bashing from sections of the public and get their thinking caps on.
Congratulations South Africa. You are setting the World Cup pace.
WINNER/LOSER: The big card decisions/our reaction
The upgraded World Cup final red card on All Blacks captain Sam Cane and the yellow for his opposite Siya Kolisi were correct for my money. Cane even accepted the blame for his. The tackles were very different. The referees can only rule by the current laws.
That won’t stop a public attack though and claims of refereeing bias, because when it comes to rugby, we are a nation of bad losers.
LOSER: The Ian Foster coaching decision
New Zealand Rugby got it wrong. Foster’s record is terrible by All Blacks standards.
There’s a lot of history rewriting going on involving the embellishment of Foster’s record.
Yet his improved image as a coach has been helped by soft games in this World Cup tournament.
In significant results at this tournament, his team beat Ireland and lost to France and South Africa. What is so great about that?
These All Blacks have reached no memorable heights during his reign, created no successful new way of playing, and have sunk to unprecedented lows.
That is not to say coach-in-waiting Scott “Razor” Robertson would have definitely brought the Webb Ellis trophy to these shores. It is pointless to make a claim like that.
But it was time to move on from a failing regime after 2019, and the poor results and performance simply don’t justify the decision to promote Foster.
The subsequently brave decision by New Zealand Rugby to prematurely appoint Robertson to take over after this tournament was 100 percent correct.
It was tough on Foster, but it had to be done.
Foster was a big part of a great All Blacks era. He deserves the credit for that.
But a fresh coach was imperative four years ago, and even more so now.
Robertson has a heck of a challenge on his hands, with great players leaving in droves. He should have been given a shot at this World Cup with the old brigade.
WINNERS: The departing greats
A group of incredible players with very long careers have come to the end of the test road at the same time it seems... Aaron Smith, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Dane Coles, Beauden Barrett. What a remarkable generation.
WINNER/LOSER: The Rugby World Cup
The final was a disgrace. The open-field skill level was awful. It was also a gripping classic. That’s rugby. It works at this level, when so much is on the line.
WINNER: Pieter-Steph du Toit
Until now, All Black Jerome Kaino was probably the greatest tight-loose forward the World Cup tournament had seen. Springbok du Toit’s performance in the final changes that. He was stupendous, particularly in the big tackling department.
WINNER: Sir John Kirwan...
... for saying this.
“It’s not [referee] Wayne Barnes’ fault,” the All Blacks great opined, after the crazy, card-influenced World Cup final.
“[It’s] World Rugby more so than the final.”
The attacks on the World Cup final match officials appear inevitable. All reason goes out the window - rugby’s failings turn them into cannon fodder.
I wonder sometimes if the rancour is heavily linked to betting.
WINNER: Springboks captain Siya Kolisi
The most impressive international sports captain we will ever see. It’s hard to think of anyone coming close.
The humility and authenticity of the South African captain’s speeches go close to bringing a tear to the eye, every time.
His gesture in reaching out to the under-fire England forward Tom Curry, who accused Boks hooker Bongi Mbonambi of making a racist remark, was remarkable and the only good aspect in a very sad affair last week.
And Kolisi did that while preparing for a World Cup final. He is a sportsman apart.
LOSER: This selection
Persevering with Rieko Ioane at centre was Ian Foster’s greatest selection mistake. Even in modern rugby, where space is at a premium and everyone is a loose forward, there must still be room for craft and guile in New Zealand’s No 13 jersey.
While the World Cup final was a shambolic cliffhanger, there were still a number of opportunities for a classy centre to have made a difference for the All Blacks.
LOSER: Slanted commentary
Close game, All Blacks lose, and Sky’s fleet of All Blacks apologists can’t help themselves.
They tried to be fair and magnanimous after the World Cup final, but couldn’t stop dropping suggestions that the All Blacks were hard done by.
This included Sir John Kirwan stating a penalty could have been awarded against South Africa at the final scrum, as if scrum penalties are ever that clear-cut.
Yet none mentioned Mark Tele’a’s scrambled pass to Beauden Barrett, for the game’s only try, which may have been forward and should have at least been checked.
It also appeared to be something verging on Sky company policy to claim that Ian Foster was a fine coach.
Former All Blacks Israel Dagg and Angus Ta’avao did some great studio work, but then the post-match analysis got sickly sweet.
Said it before, will say it again. Our cricket commentators like Simon Doull set a standard that the rest fall short of.
On that note, it is time for lead rugby commentator Grant Nisbett to retire. His tired clichés and All Blacks bias should have been put out to pasture years ago.
The former England winger opened up about his struggles post retirement.