Chris Jones reacts to the Springboks' 12-11 win over the All Blacks | It's Only Sport 

Wow, ABs supporter here and I can't believe the amount of bitching about bullshit here. We were beaten by the best team on the night peoples. The Boks fully deserve the cup and all the plaudits that come with it. Congratulations to the Springboks, well played and much respect to you all.

The targeting of the lower limb taking a crucial player out of the game in the first few minutes should be the biggest talking point. Taking SA's dominating set plays out of the game so early was a genius move by NZ and almost paid off.

South Africans have respect for ABs. At the end they were coming strong and we were willing the clock to move faster. It could have been either side. They are both pretty good even on their bad days.

As a South African, i feel very aggrieved. We've done something incredible, and all we've heard from the last three weeks is talk about refs. Yes, there were calls in all those games that went our way. But therwere calls that Saffas would argue went against us. In the end, France, England, and the ABs lost because they missed chances to score. That being said, we missed chances, too. The reality is those three teams were all lost because they did not capitalize. Blame the ref all you want. I know we have in the past. I hope rugby does sort the rules out. They are too complicated to ref in real time. And rugby is a contact sport. Unless a hit is egregiously bad, then it shouldn't be red carded. It's rugby. it's a contact sport. The players know what sport they are playing. Either accept the risks or dont play... I do want to Comend on the ABs players. In defeat, they have been the most gracious i have seen out of anyone. Not like the Enlish 'kants' who ripped their silver medals off their necks the second they walked off. May the relivalry continue to continue. May Razor take you to new levels and the boys' new coach the same.

I agree, had we got those conversions over it might be a different story, but kudos SA well done!!

South Africa also had their game plan thrown into turmoil. They had to play without an actual hooker on the field for 78 minutes and 2 yellow cards in the game. Bottom line is both teams had to improvise, adapt, adjust to something unforeseen & only one could prevail as victors.

ABs have a discipline issue, acknowledge it, deal with it and you will be a better team for it.

now we know how France felt in 2011

Wow just wow. Certainly the most level headed kiwi take I heard in the last 8 years. Thanks for your time, understanding and actual knowledge for the laws! Keep keeping us informed!

Yes, thanks Martin. SA are the deserved winners. We had an amazing tournament but the boks are just an incredible team

Congratulations SA, you did enough in the end. Gutted for our boys, but no complaints about the result. Our discipline cost us in the end. It's hard enough beating you with 15 boys on the park, let alone 14. Until we meet again...

Our favorite opponents, it was tight... Too tight.... ABs were resilient... So proud of our boys

Just a note to all complaining about the ref. In the final all cards were because of TMO referals. Most of them 3 to 4 stages of play later. After the review the TMO, linesman and ref made a call based on consensus on application if rules and fitted penalty. Kudos to the ref for a job well done.

South Africa becomes the first country to reach 4 World Champion Trophies. Congratulations Springboks.

Thanks for admitting "we didn't play well". Such respect. Thank you. We're having to deal with lots of whining. When SA lost to Aus after the Bryce debacle, we got over it and we are now four times champions. And as for Cane, life is more than sport. Really, he's OK.

And the nz try wasn’t a try. They gave it because they’d disallowed the other. Forward pass and knock on would be called 9/10 times in other games.

Not enough attention being paid to the impact of Frizell taking out Mbonambi. That cost SA more than the ABs as they had to play 77mins with a reserve hooker when they were clearly planning for a forward/set piece dominated game. That went out the window 3mins in and I can't recall the Boks being awarded a single scrum or maul penalty in this game, yet they managed to adapt and dig deep. I take nothing away from the ABs but give everything to the Boks for achieving the nearly impossible. Come home safely boys, we'll be waiting with shear admiration.

Much respect to Fozzy, him and this current crop of AB’s came so close in a game of fine margins, but I fear this coming Scott Robinson-era. I hope Rassie stays on at the Boks so that this clash of two inspiring coaches and teams and nations may continue!

Always always always get your kicks right. Always always take the points on offer.

14 men for about 33 minuts, other than that, there was the same amount of players for each Team on the field.

The Fact that you kept kicking to the corner and not take the penalty punt at goal says alot

Hi Martin I am a South African living in New Zealand for more than twenty year's and you the first radio commentator in New Zealand that has not been an arrogant all black supporter as you've had my favorite commentator justin marshall who is honestly the only kiwi to call the all blacks out if they not great and that's the reason I think that his not on the sky commentary because when you listen to the current you might as well go watch the game at there house and that to me is not an unbiased view so thank you Mr Devlin and to you Justin Marshall you make the game great please keep up the good work ps if you do end up reading this please tell Justin Marshall that we south africans appreciate his honesty

Thanks for excellent programmes during RWC Martin.Will remain subscribe as I am interested in NZ overall.Best defending team v best attacking team.Could have gone either way.Expect Razor to bdo big things.❤ and respect from🇿🇦

Live impartial podcasts. Even if some of us don’t agree some of what’s being said. Good job Marshy

Boks - 4 cups from 8 attempts - greatest record in sport!

BEST NZ Rugby Show!! Thanks

Kolisis tackle and Canes tackle can't be compared Kolisi made contact on the chest and Seveas whip lash hit the top of his head that tackle had nothing wrong Cane hit the guy full frontal to the head.... Cane maybe a yellow but Frisell was a red card with a 10 week ban...from the side,of neck role,off feet, falling with his weight on the player and malitiously causing an injury in the first 2 min.

NZ lost not because of the ref but because they did not convert their opportunities into points. They had more than enough opportunities to win the game.

The draw was actually the best draw ever It produced amazing matches

The winner deserves it Martin. There is no “who deserves it better”. That’s a defective thought pattern.

Now the AB's know what the French might have felt in 2011, losing a final by one point is tough to take. So many "what ifs" in this final, both teams missed try scoring chances. Losing Bongi Mbonambi after a couple minutes was exactly Boks worst fear and that's what made the game so close. I believe in those conditions the Boks would likely have had greater set piece dominance had their hooker stayed on the field. Because the guts, defence and intensity from Boks would still have been a factor in the game.

What a pleasure it is listening to this. Impartial, considered, true. Not like the incredible amount of crap currently swirling around the internet about what was an epic tussle.

Chris mentioned that it will be nice to have russie to help england but russie did try to help england by naming their squad to face boks in the semis but borthwick thought it was another russie mind games and do it his own way and lost by one point

Now we know how South Africa felt when Bryce cheated them out of a cup and got nominated as NZ referee that year. You got to live with the reality you create and support yourself. Dont be surprised when the snake ends up eating its own tail.

I was a bad supporter. I chucked down the remote here in Spain after cane was sent off. Went to the pub. Had a few beers. Turned the tele back on expecting a blow out. Only losing by one point with that red is a great effort.

History says Springboks 2023 champions...

Rassie signed an extension on his contract till 2025 with the option to extend to 2027. SA will have a huge talent drain after this WC as their players are oldish. SA are also notorious for dipping after a WC victory, so they need him to steady the ship and get the new talent through.

New Zealand should of buried us with that performance, you didn't. Discipline was a huge factor and New Zealand knows it. You didn't take your chances and South Africa never took the opportunities we created. Let rugby be the winner gents!

This was neutral and objective commentary based on facts.This is like a fresh breeze compared to most commentators who give one-sided views and hammer the referee!

Wayne Barnes was fine. Couple kicks missed. Few knock ons. Just did not quite click. A lot to do with Boks physical game.

May I ask all those rugby gurus who are upset/angry/disappointed with the refereeing decisions made during the 2023 RWC, where they were a year ago ? Did they agree are criticise Mr. ‘Rassie’ Erasmus’ comments regarding the N. Hemisphere referees ??? Exactly. Now sit down and STFU. 🤫

You've got that right... for Springboks it was the refusal to be beaten... This was victory thru defence... Springboks put 12 points on the board in 30 minutes and then defended those points with their life... Springboks had more motivation to win this world cup... It was a master plan/goal that was conceived by Rassie and team in 2018

Even though cane saw red, if it really was serious why wasn’t a HIA assessment imposed on the SA player…. I accept the red but the inconsistencies with this games insane!!!!

NZ rugby crowds will be at an all time low next year an absolute ghost town,R.I.P NZ Rugby ⚰ ☠

AB need to be happy that they came this far because from the beginning of WC i was never convinced by this AB team#said with respect, im sorry to tel you the truth .#coach RasNaber and Team

Sa was well on top of the game and relaxed when AB had 14 men , allowing them back into the game.

I can neither confirm nor deny that the name of the assistant tmo was "Susie"

Totally agree Martin. Unfortunately, it's not the first time an AB team, with all due respect, has choked at a WC competition. 2nd place is definitely achievement and an improvement from 3rd place at RWC 2019. E tu Aotearoa, hold your heads up high and be proud of our All Blacks. A phenomenal 90% defensive effort from the Springboks was the catalyst for the victory therefore, congratulations SA and thank you for one of the best nail-biting finals in rugby history...

As a proud South African, I'll say thank you Martin for acknowledging that the Boks are deserved World Champions. Lets not lower ourselves to refs and cards. We all know that applies to all teams. The odds were stacked against South Africa and we delivered, three weekends in a row. We have immense respect for the ABs who will always be the benchmark regarding respect and values. Boks have learned and grown. Rugby is religion in South Africa. We always believe.

Should have won ?Could have ? Would have ? but didn't....S A won but .....they had The Right Coach, The Right Tactics , and the Right Players

Cry me a river. Frizell should have received a red card for his reckless and dangerous clean on Bongi. Sam was a straight red. Kolisi didn't even make direct head contact, it was shoulder on shoulder, Kolisi was also in a bend position, Cane make no attempt to lower his height. The Springboks had the hardest draw in World Cup history and still managed to win,. They lost their hooker in the third minute and played almost 80 minutes with a stand in hooker. The best nation in rugby history with four world cups in eight goes needs one more to have won more world cup titles than the rest of the world put together since 1995 when we played n our first world cup.

It was good game allblacks got nothing to be ashamed off it was just key moments and the biggest thing is you had changes. Good to see the coach of the Allblacks going out on a high making the World cup final when everyone had written him off.

We got our Cap's back. Forever!

This was an epic World cup...extremely well organised by France...brilliant, kudos to the FFR. Onto the tournament itself...This was a final that we have all been waiting for from a SA/NZ perspective. As a spectacle it was not a great match BUT it was final after all. New Zealand gave it their all and for them there was very small margins between winning and losing. South Africa came in to the final after massively hard matches in the group matches AND in the knockout phases. Before the final, because of this we were not given a big chance of winning. Have a look at this; Scotland (huge); Romania (easy); Ireland(lost - huge); Tonga (physical); France (huge 1 point); England (huge 1 point); NZ. Despite the schedule, South Africa withstood everything that was thrown at them and WON..We are deserving winners and I believe that very few nations would be able to do what we did. We played the opponent in front of us every time...we asked for no quarter and gave nothing in return. We are the champions!

Frizelle #professional faul play ▶️ didn't work!

Everyone complained when tech was not being used. Now everyone complains that it is

I'm worried for the game. Death threats and the crowd booing refs and players alike. Every team think they should have won and the list goes on. I love this sport and we should as supporters be mindful of how we treat each other. The banter is always good and part of the tradition but the superiority complex and arrogance witnessed the last couple of weeks goes beyond me. Look at our players and management for a lesson in humility, this in all probability won us the title for a forth time. We believed we could win, we didn't believe we were better. Let that sink in.

Rugby is the beautiful game.

In terms of several replays the TMO was correct everytime. The AB's played 40m more with 14 players than the Boks. A red of 50 minutes game time and yellow vs 2 yellows = 60 less 40 = 40. The Bok discipline during the tournament caused them to give away less cards.In the quarter round they received their first yellow.This was obviously a strong focus in their preparation.Teams must obviously plan in terms of the laws in the game.Did the Bok coach coached this better? Nevertheless World Rugby should find an answer as spectators would like to see 15 vs 15. Cards should not be an "additional" player which can win or lose a game.

I love the bunker, lets be honest I would prefer the right call because it was checked by the bunker than have the ref being the target because he just did not see something.

Congrats SA. TMO and cards for me are destroying the game. It’s a contact sport. And yellow for deliberate knock on is just OTT. It’s killing the e game. AB’s did amazing.

JUst look at the way Kane set up, compared to Kolesi, If you set up like that , you are , going to get red cards as the margin for error is way too small, He is not the only one who tackles like thgis, Owen Farrel and Kriel, for example,do the same thing and run the same risk, Absolutely correct decisions!

FFS. SA played 6 “ finals “ before this game. Tonga being the most physical apparently. NZ were fresh. We needed 14 man handicap to make it even as we limped into the final. ABs play for the jersey. Boks played for hope of 62 million Mense back home. That’s the difference.

The only thing that lost the game for NZ was the unsuccessful conversion. Taking attempts at penalty goals would have given a totally different game of action. For example the Kolbe yellow card would never had happened because there is no way that that part of play could occur.

If NZ won, Barnes would have been a good referee and the team brilliant

Everyone in NZ raving about how the AB looked like the better team but they don’t realise that the Bok strategy is to play without the ball. We win by defence

Kolisi was penalized (3 points) for exactly the same play as Savea. He was absolutely legal with hands on the ball.

Why is no one talking about the horrible Frizell yellow card? That was the worst call of the match. The TMO said it was an accident, so that wasn't a yellow and it wasn't even a penalty.

These NZ fans are so terrible I hope they never win another match and go the way of Australia because they were never taught how to be gracious in defeat I guess that's what winning too much does to you . They are saying the game is so awful and terrible to watch except if they won by 1 point they would not be having any of those disgusting conversations . Rugby will never be ' good enough ' until they win, as long as they are losing the game is just not right in their eyes and they should be ignored because if we listened to them the changes wouldn't stop , we do not want to let their thugs run rampant injuring players deliberately , we do not want rugby union to turn into rugby league .

Going into the tackle well that's easy said then done

Arrogance cost the ABs. They had opportunities to take shots at goal and win. They didn’t. They went for the corner and didn’t take the points. It’s a final. Take the points always. Arrogance.

Some Kiwis are arrogant because they always think they the best but when they don't win they will make a lot of excuses. Get over it.

There's always a what if. Springboks also had 2 yellow cards = 20 minutes.

The best teams overcome draws.

Ireland are going to have to find some saffas and NZs to put in the team help them get further. 😅

New Zealand are incredible. As a South African, I wish Sam Kane had only been awarded a yellow. But it is actually just a game.

I can say in all honesty even if the abs scored that penalty...sa would have won we have it in our DNA

If we had to pick anyone to favour other than BOKS it would be the AB's.

Shambolic

Did the better team on the night won on SA last 3 matches? I always said that it is my hope that refereeing decisions don't determine the outcomes of matches. Rest my case.

Not many people talking about Barrett’s try being from a forward pass.

The ball went backwards after Etzebeth hit it and that is not illegal. You see it all the time except the ball is usually high in the air when players knock it back . Learn the laws

Mr "Sour Grapes" Chris Jones...

Was that a try or went the ball forward

Kiwi have. Canes tackle going by book was100% a red. Kolis was a yellow. But Eban was a yellow for lazy running back and a yellow/red for leading with forearm/elbow to head in tackle. If we have to protect attacking players from getting hits to the head. We also have to protect defending tacklers getting hit in the head from elbows to the head. But that's not the reason we lost. The bar i was watching everyone was screaming at tv when Jordie kicked to the corner instead of taking the easy 3 points that would made it 14-12. Everyone knows in tight games you got to take the points. Especially if it puts you in the lead in the final.

I don’t believe sam canes so called decision was even a decision knowing what’s at stake. It’s a reflex and most of these head clashes are happening in the forwards when there’s no time to think but only time to react. Ok we do need to protect the players. But at the same time I think we all want 15 on 15. I’m pretty sure that’s what the punter wants and if they don’t get it they start to get frustrated and start to follow other sports.

Once and for all people must start to grasp the reality that the ref does'n''t make the final call when it's a referral, it's an independent decision from officials designated in the bunker system. Until it is addressed by world rugby people should zip it, specially former players.

Time to start again coach everything around the ref and bunkers

I do think cane was unlucky, and no blame there, But the tmo... Was interfering. The Aaron Smith try went through 5 phases before being called back. Tmo is only allowed to go back 2 phases.

Why do the English want Rassie if they apparently cant stand him? 😂

Made the gruesome mistake of venturing into this comment section.

You can’t compare how a back tackles compared to a forward. Back has a shit load more time to get in the right position

Shannon knew exactly what he was doing. He moved his arm to maximize the damage. He deserved a red and they were lenient on him but then they couldn't let Sams go. Discipline has been our issue for the past 18 months. Smh

You NZ supports that criticise the Boks game but we won four World Cups using the same game plan so ya we are here now

Try should have been dissallowed.....

Sorry to say but Sam also high tackeled Jessy early in the game and got away with it!Go look The AB got two penalties and dicided to go for touch Wrong choice?

Well. We've had south African refs before. Now it's ever ref in the world. Wayne Barnes made the game about him. He is what everyone is talking about.

The Springboks have "gees".

ABs brought the intensity and the grit, sadly not good enough. The Razr era will define the next AB generation, the North have caught up and can now compete with the SH giants...Hard luck but ABs will be back. Well done to SA, they say defences win matches-and the attack by how much. NZ beat Ireland on the basis of a phenomenal def performance, 14 man vs the Boks was an impossible task that the Men in Black almost won.

NZ won a world cup 9-8 against France with RichieM completely offside in front of the post in the final minute. The SA ref should absolutely have penalized him.