The Springboks combined tactical ingenuity with tenacity and true grit at the 2023 Rugby World Cup to successfully retain the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time.
The year started brightly for the defending world champions, with a 43-12 victory over the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld, where Kurt-Lee Arendse scored a hat-trick of tries.
Having finished the truncated 2023 Rugby Championship with a loss to the All Blacks in Auckland, and a narrow one-point win over Argentina, the Springboks fine-tuned their preparation for the World Cup by beating Los Pumas in Buenos Aires, before cruising to a seven-try thrashing of Wales in Cardiff.
In their final match before the World Cup, Rassie Erasmus ambushed the All Blacks at Twickenham with a seven-one bench. The move paid off spectacularly, with the Springbok forwards demolishing their rivals to claim a record-breaking victory.
The Boks got their World Cup campaign off to a solid start, beating Scotland 18-3, in a game where Manie Libbok pulled off a spectacular cross-field kick.
This was followed up with an 11-try demolition of minnows Romania, before a 13-8 loss against Ireland in the Pool A decider, which put South Africa on a quarter-final collision course with tournament hosts France.
Having suffered a major blow by losing Malcolm Marx to injury, the Springboks took the opportunity to recall Handre Pollard and the veteran flyhalf made his impact felt in the final pool match against Tonga, slotting four conversions.
The pulsating quarter-final showdown against France sparked a thrilling run of successive one-point victories through the playoffs for the Springboks.
Having come off the bench in the first half, Pollard was part of a ‘Bomb Squad’ effort that rescued the semi-final against England.
Erasmus repeated the seven-one split for the World Cup final, with Deon Fourie playing as a substitute hooker and Willie le Roux as the only replacement back. A magnificent defensive display, fronted by man of the match Pieter-Steph du Toit, saw the Springboks become the first team to win the World Cup four times.
The Springboks returned to South Africa to a hero’s welcome, with a countrywide trophy tour taking the Webb Ellis Cup to the people.
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