New Zealand v South Africa LIVE: Rugby World Cup final score and result as Springboks beat All Blacks in Paris

The Springboks won a historic fourth Rugby World Cup with a tense one-point victory over the All Blacks in Paris

South Africa players brought to tears after winning World Cup against New Zealand

South Africa hung on to beat New Zealand in a tense 2023 Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France in Paris, and in doing so they became the first men’s side to win the tournament for a fourth time.

The All Blacks entered the contest as slight favourites following a comprehensive 44-6 victory against Argentina, while the Springboks reached Saturday’s showpiece event after a last-minute penalty secured them a narrow 16-15 win over England.

South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi suffered a nightmare start to the match as a knee injury forced the hooker off after only four minutes, four years after he lasted only 20 minutes in the 2019 World Cup final. New Zealand’s Shannon Frizell was shown a yellow card for causing Mbonambi’s injury, but worse was to come for the All Blacks when captain Sam Cane was sent off for a dangerous tackle on the Springboks’ Jesse Kriel, and South Africa led 12-6 at half-time.

A Beauden Barrett try pulled New Zealand back to within one point of their rivals, but the All Blacks couldn’t find anything more, and they went down 12-11 as the Springboks retained their crown.

Follow all the reaction from the final below.

New Zealand vs South Africa live

• Full-time! New Zealand 11-12 South Africa
• TRY! New Zealand 11-12 South Africa (Beauden Barrett, 58 minutes)
• Half-time! New Zealand 6-12 South Africa
• PENALTY! New Zealand 6-12 South Africa (Richie Mo’unga, 38 minutes)
• PENALTY! New Zealand 3-12 South Africa (Handre Pollard, 34 minutes)
• RED CARD! All Blacks captain Sam Cane has his yellow upgraded for a high tackle
• PENALTY! New Zealand 3-9 South Africa (Handre Pollard, 19 minutes)
• PENALTY! New Zealand 3-6 South Africa (Richie Mo’unga, 17 minutes)
• PENALTY! New Zealand 0-6 South Africa (Handre Pollard, 13 minutes)
• PENALTY! New Zealand 0-3 South Africa (Handre Pollard, 3 minutes)

[28 October 2023 18:53 · Mike Jones]

Contrasting captains Kolisi and Cane collide in Rugby World Cup final

Rugby World Cup-winning sides are often defined by their captain, as teams become a reflection of their skipper. Only eight men have worn the metaphorical armband and lifted the Webb Ellis Cup, with each of them going down in history as an all-time great.

From Francois Pienaar receiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela in 1995 to John Eales defining an Australian dynasty in 1999, through Martin Johnson dragging England to 2003 glory as the only northern hemisphere side to triumph and Richie McCaw’s place as probably the greatest of all, the only two-time winning captain in 2011 and 2015 – these men have led from the front to cement their status as legends.

Saturday’s final between New Zealand and South Africa at the Stade de France offers another opportunity for two men to enhance their legacies but this particular match-up provides a fascinating contrast.

[28 October 2023 18:46 · Mike Jones]

How the incredible Barrett brothers rejuvenated the All Blacks

The old story goes that when Kevin Barrett hung up his boots, the man they called ‘Smiley’ was asked what he was going to do next. “I’m going to go breed some All Blacks,” Smiley replied, returning to the family dairy farm and setting to work.

By that stage, sons Beauden, Scott and Jordie had already been born, and how they’ve lived up to their father’s assertion. On Saturday night, they will become the first trio of brothers to appear in a Rugby World Cup final, all close to certain starters for the All Blacks ahead of a meeting with South Africa.

There are many tales of successful sporting siblings, from the Williams sisters to the Kelce brothers; the Waughs or the Charltons. But for three brothers to be so integral to a potential World Cup win is special. Smart international rugby coaches build their side around a spine of players from a single club; Ian Foster has been able to build his All Blacks around a single family.

[28 October 2023 18:39 · Mike Jones]

Spectacular New Zealand vs South Africa final is just the start of rugby’s exciting ‘new era’

As any Paris shop owner will tell you, an alluring storefront can be everything. In this beautiful old city, the public are spoilt for choice, chic spots and souvenir shops abundant along the narrow streets and grand boulevards. A bit of glitz and glamour in an attractive aperture can be the difference between a passing glance and a bustling boutique.

And so the Rugby World Cup reaches its day of greatest shop window prominence, hoping to dazzle with a Stade de France showpiece contest between two great rivals. On Saturday, South Africa and New Zealand will battle to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a record fourth time, the etcher at the ready though unlikely to be able to start their work too soon with two such evenly-matched, if radically different, sides. You could hardly have a more enticing game to sell the sport. The eyes of the world will be watching; this encounter has every chance of enchanting them.

“This is what World Cup finals are about,” Ian Foster, New Zealand’s head coach, said this week. “I don’t think there’s ever a small one.

[28 October 2023 18:32 · Mike Jones]

Stuart Hogg column: New Zealand’s wingers terrify me! They can make the difference in the World Cup final

Last week, Argentina were good; New Zealand were just incredible. They blew them away time and again. I thought that the All Blacks would turn over the French in the first game, and that would then give the hosts a kick up the backside and galvanise them. Whereas that is what has happened to New Zealand.

They got thumped by South Africa a couple of weeks before the World Cup, then they were beaten by the French. They had two big defeats against two of the best teams in world rugby and everyone said they weren’t good enough any more. They’ve almost said, “we’ll show you.”

They are a very clever side, New Zealand. They’ll have analysed Argentina and the opportunities against them. You look at Will Jordan’s hat-trick try, an off-the-top-of-the-lineout to Ardie Savea. The tail of the lineout chase Savea, who drops it off on his inside and Jordan runs 90 metres to score a try with a lovely bit of individual brilliance.

They’ll have looked at opportunities all throughout the week. Looking at those opportunities is one thing; being able to execute them under pressure is another. I thought they were clinical in everything they did.

[28 October 2023 18:25 · Mike Jones]

3 key areas that could decide World Cup final

One of New Zealand and South Africa will become the first team to win the men’s Rugby World Cup four times when the two sides meet in the 2023 final.

It will be the first time that two great rivals have met on rugby’s biggest stage since 1995, when South Africa secured their first Webb Ellis Cup on a famous, transformative day for both the sport and a country.

Here are three key areas that could prove crucial to deciding the final:

Shutting down Savea

Perhaps no player exemplifies New Zealand’s brilliance more than Ardie Savea, the number eight brilliant in most facets. Only Bundee Aki has made more than Savea’s 60 carries, with the All Black winning the gainline with three-quarters of his runs into contact, 15 per cent more often than any of the rest of the top ten busiest carriers at the tournament, all the while dealing with more than one tackler 75% of the time. His blend of footwork, speed and strength make him virtually impossible to corral. Savea has the potential to produce a truly match-swinging performance.

The All Blacks are intelligent with their usage of him, too. Savea will often peel away from the back of a maul or be utilised in midfield to get favourable opportunities to carry from launch plays – see his try against Italy, when he left isolated hooker Giacomo Nicotera clutching air with a matador’s swish, or Will Jordan’s hat-trick score in the semi-final, when Argentina bit in on the number eight and allowed him to deftly send his wing through an inside gap.

The tough Handre Pollard should help solidify the fly half channel, and South Africa are sure to try and spread their best tacklers. Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert’s long limbs are likely to be useful in combatting a carrier so effective at using late changes of direction to extricate himself from contact.

Defensively, Savea is a breakdown menace. Caelan Doris and Manuel Ardao are the only two individuals to have had more defensive ruck arrivals at this World Cup. Given their confidence in their kicking game and defence in structure, South Africa are likely to be unafraid to load up the breakdown with bodies and sacrifice their attacking options to prevent turnover ball with which the All Blacks so often thrive.

[28 October 2023 18:18 · Harry Latham-Coyle]

New Zealand v South Africa

Good evening from a rather damp Stade de France, where the atmosphere is building steadily as fans bid to escape a slightly miserable evening. There are loads of South African fans making their way in on the metro, and there were a healthy number of All Blacks’ shirts on show in Paris’s city centre earlier.

Once in their seats, fans will be able to enjoy a pre-match show from pop star Mika, raised in Paris and a judge on the French version of The Voice, while we are expecting a smattering of celebrity guests, too.

[28 October 2023 18:15 · Mike Jones]

3 key areas that could decide World Cup final

One of New Zealand and South Africa will become the first team to win the men’s Rugby World Cup four times when the two sides meet in the 2023 final.

It will be the first time that two great rivals have met on rugby’s biggest stage since 1995, when South Africa secured their first Webb Ellis Cup on a famous, transformative day for both the sport and a country.

Here are three key areas that could prove crucial to deciding the final:

Scrum-time skirmish

South Africa have plenty more to their game than just scrum-time expertise, but there is no doubt that it is a crucial element of their strategy. It was the impact of Ox Nche, Vincent Koch and co. that transformed their semi-final against England, and having loaded up with seven bench forwards, Jacques Nienaber will expect a similar impact in the final.

The All Blacks have lost just 2.6% of their scrums via a penalty, the third lowest rate in the competition, avoiding significant territorial gains for their opposition. Denying South Africa success is crucial. Their kick to contest strategy relies on being able to make advancements from penalties. If the All Blacks can deny them the ability to make progress via the boot, it will force the Springboks to play more expansively having opted for Handre Pollard’s solidity over Manie Libbok’s silkier skills.

Sustaining that effort across the 80 minutes will be key. The All Blacks have made a change to their bench as a nod to Ox Nche’s threat particularly – the experienced Nepo Laulala replaces the rawer Fletcher Newell and will be tasked with ensuring there is little drop-off when the impressive Tyrel Lomax is replaced.

[28 October 2023 18:05 · Mike Jones]

3 key areas that could decide World Cup final

One of New Zealand and South Africa will become the first team to win the men’s Rugby World Cup four times when the two sides meet in the 2023 final.

It will be the first time that two great rivals have met on rugby’s biggest stage since 1995, when South Africa secured their first Webb Ellis Cup on a famous, transformative day for both the sport and a country.

Here are three key areas that could prove crucial to deciding the final:

All Blacks’ attack vs Springboks’ defence

This is an encounter between probably the best attack in the world against almost certainly the most ferocious defence – a fitting battle for the World Cup final. The All Blacks have won the gainline more regularly than any other side in the competition, while offloading more efficiently than any other side and finishing their chances at an outstanding rate. South Africa, meanwhile, make more dominant defensive collisions than any other team and scramble superbly – less than five percent of their missed tackles lead to tries.

South Africa’s hard outside blitz offers opportunities if you are able to transfer the ball to the edge at speed, typically a strength of the All Blacks: New Zealand (12.3%) are one of only five teams to play more than play wider than the second receiver more than ten per cent of the time. That said, two of the other four are Ireland (20.9%) and Scotland (15.8%), two attacks that South Africa fared well against earlier in the tournament.

Where New Zealand have had success against South Africa in the past is with their varied kicking game. Both Barrett brothers, Richie Mo’unga and Will Jordan all have a full set of clubs in their bag – there is no side better at hiding their kick choices with subtle changes at the line, with their playmaking quartet’s ability to execute under pressure unmatched. Having utilised a number of kicks in a rampant first half performance to beat the Springboks in the Rugby Championship, Ian Foster’s side barely used the tactic at all during the pair’s warm-up meeting at Twickenham, perhaps holding back a couple of variations for this tournament.

[28 October 2023 17:55 · Mike Jones]

How Wales fared at World Cup and what the future holds for Warren Gatland’s men

Wales reached the Rugby World Cup knockout phase for a fourth successive tournament before bowing out against quarter-final opponents Argentina.

And that represented a solid achievement given Wales’ struggles earlier in the year when poor form was matched by off-field issues such as financial and contractual uncertainty that almost led to a players’ strike.

[28 October 2023 17:45 · Mike Jones]

Why do New Zealand do the haka and what do the words mean in English?

The haka is one of rugby’s best known traditions, with the ceremonial Maori dance performed pre-match by New Zealand rugby sides before international fixtures.

Haka were traditionally performed for a variety of social occasions and functions by the Maori, the indigenous population of the country, to represent a display of a tribe’s pride, strength and unity.

Usually performed by a group, they are now performed to welcome distinguished guests or acknowledge an occasion, but it is for their use in rugby that haka are best known.