Ranking the top five performances from the Springboks in 2023
A fantastic victory was capped by a clutch effort by RG Snyman and Faf de Klerk, who ripped the ball away on France’s final opportunity.
The Springboks defeated New Zealand 12–11 in the final to become the second team in history to win the Rugby World Cup twice in a row in 2023.By doing this, they surpassed the Black Ferns with six Rugby World Cup victories to become the second-most successful team ever.
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Though they barely defeated a 14-man opponent, South Africa’s performance in the final wasn’t their finest of the year.
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Here are the top five performances of 2023 by the Springboks ranked.
The Rugby World Cup final’s inclusion in the list stems from the fact that it was the final. The narrative surrounding this game is that, despite having a one-man edge for the majority of the match, the All Blacks should have won, meaning the Boks almost lost.
It wasn’t a peak Springboks performance in terms of performances. When Sam Cane’s yellow card was upgraded to red in the final and they survived by just one point, it was as though they had been given a present.
Following the early loss of Bongi Mbonambi, the All Blacks treated Deon Fourie’s hooker like an open-book exam. In the second half, the All Blacks dominated everything, picking off most lineouts.
The Springboks are world champions once more solely because Richie Mo’unga and Jamie Barrett missed penalty kicks, which was entirely beyond their control.
It’s true that the Boks’ defense helped them win, but when you take into account their one man advantage, it doesn’t seem as good as it does. Once Cane was sent off, they actually lost 8-3 according to the scoreboard.
The team’s performance wasn’t particularly strong, but Peter-Steph du Toit had an outstanding individual showing considering his play in 2019.
This performance wouldn’t be on the list if it weren’t the World Cup final.Scotland entered the World Cup ranked fifth, but South Africa’s victory over them in the group stages made the list.
They only lost to France and Ireland, the top two-ranked teams at the time, to finish third in the Six Nations. Over the past several seasons, Scotland has been formidable, and their assault has thrived thanks to weapons out wide like Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe. In February, they had defeated Wales 35–7 thanks to a fantastic Finn Russell effort.
Unfortunately, Russell was caught off guard by the Springboks, and Scotland’s No. 10 had a difficult game as they managed just three points.
On defense, it was a strong performance in a crucial matchup against a top opponent. Restricting a top five Test team to just three points is a fantastic performance.
Compared to their 16–15 victory over England in the semi-final, which did not make the list, it was a far more comprehensive display.
The Springboks’ first game of 2023 may have been their best offensive performance of the year. They frequently used width, with Mannie Libbok positioned at flyhalf, to attack an underprepared Wallabies team. Even though rising star Kurt-Lee Arendse scored a hat-trick, it was all one-way traffic despite Mika Koroibete scoring on the opening try.
The Springboks successfully targeted vulnerable Wallaby defenders by utilizing variations in and around the rolling maul. Two penalty tries were also scored by the maul.A barnstorming performance by Andre Esterhuizen, and a World Player of the Year-caliber appearance by Marco van Staden.
While the Wallabies’ first Test under Eddie Jones was a nightmare, South Africa’s performance was as professional as it gets.
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After loading up their 7-1 bench, the Boks destroyed a 6-man and 7-man pack full of spring chicks. The All Blacks were outnumbered and unable to counter the strong maul and scrum.
This performance would rank first on the list if it was a 15-on-15 match that meant something. In any case, it was a great performance in a pointless one-off match against a weak opponent.
1. Springboks 29-28 France in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, Stade de France Paris
The Springboks’ most impressive game of the year came in the quarterfinal, when they came back from behind to eliminate France from their home World Cup.
The two teams played one of the greatest games ever, even with some fortunate breaks going the Springboks’ way, Etzebeth’s hand, Arendse’s unlawful batting of the ball dead, and the Kolbe charge down that was later ruled offside.
Three tries apiece were scored in an incredible opening half. If you let the Springboks counterattack, they can be very dangerous, and France gave in.
Arendse scored a goal by taking advantage of a lost high pass, and Damian de Allende followed suit one phase after regaining another high ball that had been spilled.Cheslin Kolbe was assisted by Jesse Kriel with a grubber kick following a subpar pass and knock-on by France.
The first three Springbok attempts were all the result of mistakes made by the French. If France fails to handle those problems, they just have themselves to blame.
With twenty-five minutes remaining in the match, South Africa was trailing by six points, and that was when the game changed.
Based on all previous data, France had an 83% chance of winning the match at that stage in the match.
Uncharacteristically for a Springbok, South Africa risked on a try rather than attempting to close the deficit to three points.After applying constant pressure, Eben Etzebeth smashed in from close range to regain the lead.
A fantastic victory was capped by a clutch effort by RG Snyman and Faf de Klerk, who ripped the ball away on France’s final opportunity.
