Rugby World Cup: South Africa surge to glory as England fall short
• Springboks crowned world champions for a third time
• Pollard kicks 22 points, Mapimpi and Kolbe add tries
In the end it appeared to be written in the stars. Every 12 years South Africa have an unerring habit of winning Rugby World Cups and they have done it again, following up their triumphs of 1995 and 2007 with another prodigious display of power and might. The image of Siya Kolisi, the first black captain to collect the Webb Ellis Cup, raising the trophy is set to become as treasured as any picture in Springbok history.
In truth they had a crestfallen England exactly where they wanted them long before two last quarter tries from the wingers Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe settled a wincingly physical contest. Under massive scrum pressure and lacking the accuracy and front-foot dynamism that characterised their stunning semi-final win against New Zealand, there were only fleeting moments when England looked in with a chance of emulating Martin Johnson’s champions of 2003.