SOUTH AFRICA secured a hard-fought 12-11 victory over New Zealand last night to clinch a record fourth Rugby World Cup title in France.

Handre Pollard kicked four penalties to help the Springboks to the historic success against their bitter rivals at a rain-soaked Stade de France in Paris.

It was a nerve-wracking, edgy battle where defence ruled and the All Blacks lost captain Sam Cane to a first-half red card for a high tackle.

But South Africa prevailed to win a third successive knockout match in this tournament by a point and add to their titles in 1995, 2007 and 2019.

“The last three games have been quite tough, each one we have played has been a final and each one we have won by one point,” player of the match Pieter-Steph du Toit said in his post-match interview.

“As a team we like drama. It has helped us through the last few years, it shows the resilience of this team.

“We are honoured to play for the whole of South Africa and the Springboks. When we go back home it will be a warm welcome for us.”

The game drew a number of high-profile stars from other sports, including tennis stars Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic among the 80,000 spectators, and South Africa captain Siya Kolisi described how much this triumph meant to his people back home.

“Honestly, people who are not from South Africa don’t understand what this means for our country,” he said.

“It’s not just about the game on the field. Our country goes through such a lot. We are the hope they have.”

[NaijaTimes]