Peter Stringer, a former Ireland halfback, has praised the Springboks’ defensive approach following their fourth victory in the Rugby World Cup final.

The defensive mindset of Springboks has no equal

Stringer believes that the Springboks’ faith got them through the competition.

Stringer stated in a Betway essay that “the Rugby World Cup final was always going to be close given the way the rest of the tournament has gone, but it was a really absorbing, edge-of-the-seat kind of game.”

Regarding the squad that emerged victorious in the competition, I don’t think there is room for debate. It was just another South African master class. They appeared to be really at ease playing defense as a unit. They did not let any penetration of any kind across their line to New Zealand.

You never felt like New Zealand was controlling the game, even if they had a little bit more possession and territory when they returned to the match. Their hopes of defeating three or four defenders rested on something exceptional from a creative player such as Mark Telea.

“You always felt like they could step it up if necessary, and South Africa’s defensive mentality, level of aggression, and unrelenting line speed pressure are truly something to admire.”

“There just seems to be an unbelievable belief in that South Africa team that, when the chips are down, they can just go and score when they really need to,” said the player who missed a pair of kicks for New Zealand. “If one of those kicks goes over, it could be a different game.”

WAYNE BARNES IS GRANTED APPROVAL

Wayne Barnes, the referee, received praise from Stringer as well.

Although both of the yellow and red cards were the appropriate choices, Stringer said they “obviously had a big influence on the game.”

“Sam Cane’s situation remained unchanged as Jesse Kriel did not make a sudden shift in direction. Cane was always upright, but you have to be seen in order to lower your body height and dip. Siya Kolisi has taken the time to get into the proper tackling posture, as seen by the fact that his back is almost parallel to the ground.

“World Rugby had issued a strong order prior to the competition about head contact, and many were unsure about the outcome. However, it’s excellent that there haven’t been many talking points regarding cards.

“What’s pleasing from my point of view is that the referee and TMO are in constant communication. He’s always in the referee’s ear, so there’s no cause for to stop the play, deliberate over decisions and frustrate viewers.”