Defending champion South Africa kicked its way to a record fourth Rugby World Cup title by beating New Zealand 12-11 on Saturday after All Blacks captain Sam Cane was the first player to be red-carded in a final.
Flyhalf Handre Pollard scored all the points for a Springboks side which repeated its 1995 success over New Zealand and denied the All Blacks their own chance to win a fourth title in their record fifth final.
Captain Siya Kolisi held the Webb Ellis Cup aloft, kissed his right sweatband, raised the trophy even higher and roared a victory cry loud enough to rattle windows in Johannesburg, Cape Town and everywhere else back home.
“People who are not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our country. It is not just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot,” Kolisi said. “I want to tell the people of South Africa, `Thank you so much’. This team just shows what you can do.”
Pure ecstasy, pure agony<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWC2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWC2023</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWCFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWCFinal</a> <a href=”https://t.co/r9jIUdFDOF”>pic.twitter.com/r9jIUdFDOF</a>
As South Africa’s players celebrated with laps of honour and prop Trevor Nyakane danced, Kolisi broke off and climbed up the stadium stairs. He headed to see a special friend high up in the stands — tennis great Roger Federer, whose mother is South African. Federer clenched his fist in celebration as he leaned over to celebrate with Kolisi.
Cane will fly home with regrets.
“Extremely gutted and disappointed,” he said. “First of all, that the guys had to play with 14 men for the last 50-odd minutes, I thought the courage they showed out here tonight was incredible, the whole team are absolute warriors.”
Cane was issued the red card for a high tackle on centre Jesse Kriel. Three other players were sin-binned — two Springboks and one All Black — in a chaotic match.
“I’d like to say well done to South Africa,” Cane said. “Back-to-back [champions], they have been a fantastic team.”
Fullback Beauden Barrett scored the only try of the game in the left corner, setting up a tense last 20 minutes.
He became the first player to score in two World Cup finals and scored the first try conceded by South Africa in a final. But flyhalf Richie Mo’unga’s touchline conversion attempt went wide and ultimately preserved the winning margin.
Both sides finished with 14 players as left winger Cheslin Kolbe was sin-binned for a deliberate knock on. Centre Jordie Barrett took the penalty shot from nearly 50 meters wide of the right post but it sailed wide with Kolbe holding his head in his hands, unable to watch.
“It was a real arm wrestle,” New Zealand coach Ian Foster said “Incredibly proud of the way we fought and to get within a whisker of pulling it off is heart-breaking.”
Siya Kolisi becomes the second captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWC2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWC2023</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWCFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWCFinal</a> <a href=”https://t.co/XhaPorjMNU”>pic.twitter.com/XhaPorjMNU</a>
Cane was sin-binned but referee Wayne Barnes pulled out the dreaded red after the punishment was upgraded late in the first half following a bunker review.
The All Blacks had already had a yellow card after three minutes to flanker Shannon Frizell. Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was sin-binned early in the second half, for another high tackle, evening the numbers with the score 12-6 to South Africa.
Saturday’s 106th showdown between the gigantic rivals was played on a wet field and pitted the two top-ranked sides.
Federer, wearing a South Africa scarf, and fellow tennis great Novak Djokovic were among the crowd of 80,065 who witnessed a gripping but scrappy game.
New Zealand scrumhalf Aaron Smith dived over in the left corner early in the second half but the try was ruled out. Mo’unga made a great break from midfield, dummied inside fullback Damian Willemse and fed Smith to dive over. But yet another TMO decision ruled out the try for a knock on in the buildup.
Kolisi’s card was not upgraded and he came back on moments later with 25 minutes left to play. New Zealand was on top and a brilliant improvised one-handed looping pass from Jordie Barrett found wing Mark Tele’a, and he slipped two tackles before feeding Beauden Barrett in the left corner.
Handré Pollard has scored all 12 points for South Africa, including this long-range penalty ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWC2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWC2023</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWCFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWCFinal</a> <a href=”https://t.co/iQBEKVtObJ”>pic.twitter.com/iQBEKVtObJ</a>
It gave New Zealand hope, but in the end Kolisi became only the second skipper to lead a team to back-to-back World Cup victories after New Zealand great Richie McCaw.
“There are no ways I can explain it. I want to give credit to the All Blacks. They took us to the end, they took us to a dark place,” Kolisi said. “It shows what kind of team they are, to fight with a man down from early in the game. They put us under so much pressure.”
When Barnes blew the final whistle, a tearful Kolbe looked up in relief, Kolisi put his hands on his head in jubilant disbelief, then hugged Kolbe while Cane was sat staring ahead in despair. South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber also looked tearful as his staff grabbed him in celebration.
The dream final was stop-started by a stream of penalties under steady rain.
Frizell was penalized for tackling hooker Bongi Mbonambi in a neck roll. Mbonambi hurt his right knee and was replaced by veteran Deon Fourie.
Kurt-Lee Arendse with a stunning try-saving tackle just before the break ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWC2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWC2023</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RWCFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RWCFinal</a> <a href=”https://t.co/x8A8crROi6″>pic.twitter.com/x8A8crROi6</a>
Pollard’s penalty went over, but losing Mbonambi was a big blow. With Frizell still serving his penalty, Pollard slotted over again when Codie Taylor failed to roll away.
New Zealand hit back in the 17th minute when scrumhalf Faf de Klerk was penalized for a tackle off the ball and flyhalf Mo’unga kicked the points. But Savea was pinged moments later for a foul on opposite number Duane Vermeulen and Pollard’s 40-meter kick crept over.
Calmness personified from Pollard, in contrast to Cane’s rush of blood. A TMO review showed him leading with his shoulder into Kriel’s face.
New Zealand withstood two yellow cards in a 28-24 win against Ireland in the quarterfinals, but never trailed in that game, and fell further behind in this one when Pollard’s penalty sailed over following an offside.
Seconds earlier, Cane’s foul was upgraded to a red following a bunker review and he sank his head into his hands.
Still, even with a player less, New Zealand almost scored the game’s first try in the left corner when centre Rieko Ioane was tackled just in time by Kurt-Lee Arendse. A penalty for lock Eben Etzebeth was kicked by Mo’unga to make it a six-point game at the break.
But the All Blacks faced the whole second half — and the threat of South Africa’s `Bomb Squad’ — with a player less. Until Kolisi trudged off for a high tackle on Savea, again picked up by a TMO in overdrive.
Smith tapped his heart when he came off with 15 minutes left, having played his last game for the All Blacks.
Same for Nienaber, who heads back home a hero.
Typically, he deflected the credit onto his players.
“They have been in a World Cup final before, some of them have played their third World Cup now. The experience pulled them through,” he said. “They are an amazing bunch of guys, they are all warriors.”
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
