PARIS – Handre Pollard kicked four penalties to help South Africa to a nail-biting 12-11 victory over 14-man New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday to claim a record fourth title.
As is so often the case with finals, the match proved to be a tight, edgy encounter at a rain-soaked Stade de France where defence ruled and the All Blacks lost captain Sam Cane to a first-half red card for a high tackle.
The game, with tennis stars Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic among the 80,065 spectators, got off to a dramatic start.
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