South Africa have claimed back-to-back World Cup titles with a 12-11 win over New Zealand at Stade de France.
It was a wild game headlined by the red carding of All Blacks captain Sam Cane, the first ever in a World Cup Final
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Cane collected Jesse Kriel high and was one of four players to sit down on the sidelines in a physical encounter.
Handre Pollard kicked all the points for the Springboks as they took a six-point half-time lead, only for Beauden Barrett's try to set up a grandstand finish.
The Kiwis threw everything at them, with Jordie Barrett missing a long penalty with six minutes to go as the Springboks held on.
"There are no ways I can explain it. I want to give credit to the All Blacks. They took us to the end, they took us to a dark place. It shows what kind of team they are, to fight with a man down from early in the game. They put us under so much pressure," captain Siya Kolisi said after the game.
"Credit to my boys too for the fight. I am just grateful we could pull it off.
"People who are not from South Africa don't understand what it means for our country. It is not just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot. We are just grateful that we can be here."
The All Blacks instantly found themselves reduced to 14 when Shannon Frizell was yellow carded for a dangerous cleanout on Bongi Mbonambi, forcing the hooker off.
This allowed them to control the collision battle early as Pieter-Steph du Toit delivered a masterclass. He constantly battered the Kiwis and forced penalties, allowing Handre Pollard to kick them clear.
However, the critical moment of the match came in the 29th minute after Cane's tackle.
"A high degree of danger – no clear and obvious mitigation," was the ruling from TMO Tom Foley, upgrading the yellow card to a red.
This failed to deter the Kiwis as they mounted a charge.
A late penalty to Richie Mo'unga reduced the margin to six at half-time before Kolisi was sent to the bin for a high shot, narrowly avoiding being upgraded for a red card
The flyhalf nearly put over Aaron Smith for the opening try, only to be brought back for a knock-on.
However, Beauden Barrett could not be denied minutes later, scooping up a loose pass from Mark Telea to score in the corner.
Mo'unga couldn't convert to set up a thrilling finish as the Springboks tried to close it out with a quartet of field goals.
They got a chance late when Cheslin Kolbe was yellow carded for a deliberate knock down, however, Barrett's kick faded to the left to keep South Africa in front.
Their finishers came up with turnovers at the right time to close out victory and back-to-back titles
"This group is very proud to be All Blacks, very proud to play for their country and have worked incredibly hard to get here," New Zealand coach Ian Foster said.
"While I am so proud of what we did and how we worked we have to give it to South Africa, they are a quality team. They have had a few close victories in this tournament and are a different class. It's special for them but it equally hurts for us.
"I can't ask for much more than we did, we couldn't put more out on the park."
SPRINGBOKS 12
PENS: Pollard 4/4
DGS: Willemse 0/2, Kolbe 0/1, Pollard 0/1
ALL BLACKS 11
TRIES: B. Barrett
CONS: Mo'unga 0/1
PENS: Mo'unga 2/2, J. Barrett 0/1
New Zealand (15-1): Beauden Barrett; Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Mark Telea; Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith; Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (capt), Shannon Frizell; Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick; Tyrel Lomax, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tamaiti Williams, Nepo Laulala, Sam Whitelock, Dalton Papali’i, Finlay Christie, Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown
South Africa (15-1): Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt); Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese, Willie le Roux
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
Assistant Referee 1: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Carley (RFU)
TMO: Tom Foley (RFU)
