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24

2019 Springboks Ease Past All Blacks Defeat Wales To
Win Bronze At Rugby World Cup
6th, Warren Gatland’s final game as Wales head coach ended in
November England To Win defeat as New Zealand emphatically won the World Cup bronze

medal at Tokyo Stadium.
The All Blacks’ 40-17 triumph consigned Wales to a fourth

| Rugby World Cup place finish for the second time in three World Cup campaigns
under Gatland.
EXAMINER ngland were stunned by tormented Sinckler’s replace- and Billy Vunipola in flinging 31 Tests, having not lost in the fixture since 1953.
It also extended New Zealand’s winning run against Wales to
Ben Youngs joined Farrell
Gatland’s 12-year reign, highlighted by four Six Nations titles,
South Africa’s relentless ment Dan Cole to win a series
three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-final appearances,
IRISH Eintensity as their World Cup of penalties that placed South out a wild, misjudged pass as could not find a fairytale finish.
quest ended with a crushing 32-12 Africa in full command.
England continued to invite
New Zealand had the game sewn up by half-time through
In recognition of the set-
defeat in the final at International
pressure but they sprung into
StadiumYokohama. piece decimation, George Kruis life with their first visit to the wing Ben Smith’s try double, plus touchdowns for prop Joe
A tense arm wrestle deliv- was summoned into the second opposition 22 with the Moody and full-back Beauden Barrett, with fly-half Richie
ered its critical moment in the row to add ballast and while Vunipola brothers making Mo’unga kicking four conversions.
66th minute when Makazole that made no difference, the thunderous carries. Wales countered through Hallam Amos’ clever try and five
Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am arrival of Joe Marler brought a The passage of play was points from Rhys Patchell, but center Ryan Crotty’s try and
combined brilliantly down the form of parity. ended by three points from another Mo’unga conversion early in the second-half finished
left wing for the first of the The damage had been done, Farrell but it also delivered a them off before Mo’unga added a late touchdown.
Springboks’ two tries. however, and despite the blow to South Africa, who lost Wing Josh Adams scored a second Wales try, though, giving
England’s defense was valiant efforts of the Vunipola hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi him seven in the tournament and breaking Shane Williams’
unlocked by the speed and brothers, Tom Curry, Sam and lock Lood De Jager to Wales record for one World Cup campaign that he set 12 years
accuracy of a move that saw Underhill and Maro Itoje, injury. ago.
Mapimpi cross to become the England eventually fell apart as Another scrum penalty Dan Biggar converted, leaving an under-strength Wales to
first Springbok to score a try in the heroics on display against allowed Pollard to regain the take considerable comfort from a battling display that augers
a World Cup final, although the All Blacks became a distant lead and when Ford kicked out well for their future under Gatland’s successor Wayne Pivac.
there was also a hint of a for- memory. on the full, things were looking Gatland made nine changes for his final game in charge, with
ward pass. South Africa had a laser- bleak. injuries sidelining players like Leigh Halfpenny, George North
And with Eddie Jones’ men guided kicker in Handre Pollard But England rose again with and Aaron Wainwright, while wing Owen Lane made a World
forcing their attack in desperate to capitalize fully on the set- a sustained onslaught lasting 26 Cup debut and lock Adam Beard also started.
pursuit of an unlikely comeback piece control, while Owen phases, one more led by the All Blacks boss Steve Hansen, who is also standing down after
win, wing Cheslin Kolbe deliv- Farrell landed four penalties for Vunipolas but with assistance the tournament, included the likes of center Sonny Bill Williams,
ered the knockout punch with the pre-match favorites – who from Manu Tuilagi, and they wing Rieko Ioane and flanker Sam Cane.
six minutes remaining. have now lost in the final on were only kept at bay by des- The Wales players did not follow England’s example in the
The victory maintains South three occasions. perate defending before collect- semi-final last weekend of encroaching over the halfway line
Africa’s 100 per cent record in ‘Swing Low’ reverberated ing another three points while New Zealand performed their pre-match Haka.
finals and enables Siya Kolisi’s around a stadium turned white through Farrell. They faced it in regulation fashion standing on their own 10-
team to join the famed by noisy England fans, who South Africa continued to meter line, but Wales were soon back-pedaling under pressure
Springboks of 1995 and 2007. were quickly stunned into squeeze and smother, especially before Mo’unga hit the post with a straightforward penalty
After flying out of the blocks silence when Sinckler was at the scrum, and when Pollard chance.
against New Zealand a week knocked out during a collision was on target with two addi- But the All Blacks struck after five minutes following a charge
earlier, England were with Itoje and Mapimpi. tional penalties they led 12-6 at by lock Brodie Retallick that ended with Moody touching down
ambushed by South Africa’s The prop received medical half-time. and Mo’unga converting for a 7-0 lead.
instant ferocity and never truly attention for several minutes No team has won a World Wales showed some promising glimpses, with wing Adams
recovered. before departing the pitch on Cup having trailed a final at prominent in attack, but New Zealand cut them open again in
Seeing prop Kyle Sinckler unsteady feet and on the next half-time and that statistic the 12th minute when scrum-half Aaron Smith broke sharply
knocked out inside three min- scrum, with Cole now at tight- looked safe as England’s set- and found try-scorer Barrett.
utes and unable to return was a head, South Africa produced a piece continued to hurtle back- Mo’unga again converted, and Wales were already hugely up
savage setback – but it was only mighty shove. wards, resulting in Pollard land- against it, trailing by 14 points.
the beginning of their problems Willie Le Roux glided into ing from the kicking tee for the Wales then sacrificed two kickable penalties, and their for-
as panic swept through Red space and Pollard forced a gap fifth time. wards went close to breaching New Zealand’s defense before
Rose ranks. as the Springboks poured for- With Joe Marler’s arrival for- Amos applied a neat finish, claiming a try that Patchell convert-
Nowhere was the vulnera- ward and when a penalty came tunes changed and referee ed.
bility more evident than at the at the breakdown, Pollard drew Jerome Garces reacted as South Wales continued to attack with freedom, and Patchell kicked
scrum where Tendai Mtawarira first blood. Africa were sent into full a 27th-minute penalty that made it 14-10.
retreat, Farrell making the most Wales’ response to two early setbacks had been outstanding,
of the opportunity by nailing his and another pinpoint Patchell touch-finder took them back
kick. inside New Zealand’s 22.
An exchange of penalties fol- Both sides looked to attack at every opportunity, and New
lowed but suddenly the Zealand struck next when Smith worked his way over for a try,
Springboks no longer needed again converted by Mo’unga.
the boot of their hard-running Wales continued to have plenty of possession, yet New
fly-half as first Mapimpi and Zealand finished the half well on top.
then Kolbe plundered superb Smith sprinted over for a second try in five minutes, and
tries. another Mo’unga conversion made it 28-10 at the interval.
Both took advantage of tir- New Zealand had gone up a gear, and their fifth try arrived
ing English legs, stamina sapped just two minutes into the second period, with Crotty crashing
by the sustained battering they over and Mo’unga converting, to at least gain something tangi-
had taken at the hands of wor- ble from a World Cup campaign that saw England end their
thy winners. C hopes of a world title hat-trick. C