YEAR IN REVIEW: Boks cement themselves as world’s most successful RWC side
Despite the team having a difficult campaign leading up to France, the Springboks reclaimed their championship in the 2023 Rugby World Cup after besting the All Blacks 12-11 in the final.
Springboks' flanker and captain Siya Kolisi (C) lifts the Webb Ellis Cup as South Africa's players celebrate winning the France 2023 Rugby World Cup final match against New Zealand at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris on 28 October 2023.
JOHANNESBURG - It's been a historic year for the Springboks, as they firmly cemented themselves as the most successful rugby nation in the world.
However, the team had a difficult campaign leading up to France, and an even more difficult path to reclaiming the Rugby World Cup champions title.
The year kicked off on an anxious note for the Springboks, with the news that captain Siya Kolisi required surgery after suffering a knee injury while playing for the Sharks in April.
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Despite winning two of their three games, the team struggled to convince fans that they could defend their World Cup title during the shortened Rugby Championship, with some describing the 35-20 loss to the All Blacks as the worst performance under the Erasmus-Nienaber leadership.
Once they got to France, the Boks won three of their four group games to set up a quarterfinal showdown with the hosts.
The one-point win over Les Bleus would be a symbol of things to come, as that margin of victory would replicate itself in both their semifinal win over England, and the success over New Zealand in the final.
The thrilling 12–11 win allowed the Springboks to create their own history by becoming the first nation to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy four times, the only nation that has never lost a World Cup final and remain the only team in the world that has beaten the All Blacks twice in a tournament finale.