Tries by wingers Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe and the goalkicking of Handre Pollard earned South Africa their third Rugby World Cup title on Saturday as the flyhalf kicked 22 points to secure a 32-12 victory over an error-strewn England.
South Africa led 12-6 at halftime through four Pollard penalties with Owen Farrell replying for an England team who had been bossed in the scrum, having lost injured prop Kyle Sinckler after three minutes, and who committed a series of handling errors in a ragged 40-minute display. South Africa, playing with far more ambition than in their semi-final win over Wales, kept up the pressure in the second half as England struggled to build any sort of momentum and Pollard nudged them 18-12 ahead after an hour.
The Springboks then scored their first try in three World Cup finals when Mapimpi broke clear in the 66th minute, chipped ahead and collected the ball back from Lukhanyo Am, and recalled winger Kolbe then blasted through to put the gloss on a deserved win.
Another win for South Africa was the fact that the match was broadcast live on SABC.
The chairperson of the portfolio committee on communications, Boyce Maneli, said that “this allowed millions of South Africans from all walks of life to rally behind the Springboks who have now been crowned the 2019 Rugby World Cup champions”.
The country watched the last two matches on free-to-air television channel SABC2 and listened in on 11 radio stations.
Maneli said that although the broadcast was carried from a SuperSport feed, the SABC nonetheless demonstrated its capabilities. It provided a world-class commentary and insightful analysis.
“The live coverage of the final match on radio stations has demonstrated the level of capacity that is available at the SABC to reach all South Africans in the 11 official languages. SABC management is encouraged to diligently implement, in its entirety, the turnaround strategy in order to ensure that the SABC continues discharging its public service mandate,” he said.