Gbets 2023 Rugby World Cup Review

Have you all caught your breath yet?

The Springboks lifted the Rugby World Cup trophy on 28 October 2023, having beaten New Zealand 12-11 in another nail-biter. That win ensured that the Bokke became the first nation to win the William Webb Ellis Cup 4 times and became the second team to win back-to-back World Cup titles. The Springbok's route to World Cup glory was arguably harder than any other team has had to endure, with the men in Green and Gold having to play 5 of the world’s 6 top-ranked teams en route to title glory.

Click below to read our comprehensive review of the tournament:

Pool A

Position	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	PF	PA	PD	Bonus	Points
1	France (Q)	4	4	0	0	210	32	+178	3	18
2	New Zealand (Q)	4	3	0	1	253	47	+206	3	15
3	Italy	4	2	0	2	114	181	−67	2	10
4	Uruguay	4	1	0	3	65	164	-99	1	5
5	Namibia	4	0	0	4	37	255	-218	0	0

Review

The results in Pool A pretty much went as expected, with France and New Zealand dominating and Italy, Uruguay and Namibia not threatening quarterfinal qualification. France kicked off the pool with a crushing 29-13 of the 2-time champions All Blacks, sending an ominous warning to the other teams that the hosts would be hard to beat at home. New Zealand bounced back from this defeat to easily beat its other opponents and qualify for the quarterfinals in 2nd place, while France produced similar results and qualified for the quarterfinals in 1st place.

Italy proved to be a major disappointment, getting crushed 96-17 by New Zealand and 60-7 by France in matches it was at least expected to be competitive. However, it easily won against Uruguay and Namibia, ensuring that it finished 3^rd and automatically qualified for the 2027 World Cup.

Namibia lived up to their minnow status and badly underperformed, but Uruguay gave a fairly good account of itself, beating Namibia and only losing 27-12 to France when a large defeat was expected.

Pool B

Position	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	PF	PA	PD	Bonus	Points
1	Ireland (Q)	4	4	0	0	190	46	+144	3	19
2	South Africa (Q)	4	3	0	1	151	34	+117	3	15
3	Scotland	4	2	0	2	146	71	+75	2	10
4	Tonga	4	1	0	3	96	177	-81	1	5
5	Romania	4	0	0	4	32	287	−255	0	0

Review

The “Pool of Death” saw Scotland suffer as the “victim”, as Ireland and South Africa qualified for the quarterfinals in 1^st and 2^nd place, respectively. Ireland won all its matches, beating South Africa 13-8 in a match that could have gone the other way were it not for errant Springbok goalkicking. The Springboks saw off Scotland 18-3 in a tough opening match, thumped Romania 76-0 and beat Tonga 49-18 in a bruising match.

Ireland also smashed Romania and Tonga but saved the best for last with a dominant 36-14 win over Scotland. The Scots also easily deposed of Romania and Tonga, but its largely uncompetitive showing against Ireland and South Africa meant that it was never in contention to qualify for the semifinals. Despite 3 large defeats, Tonga was much more competitive than Romania, which was a team exposed as out of its depth at this tournament.

Pool C

Position	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	PF	PA	PD	Bonus	Points
1	Wales (Q)	4	4	0	0	143	59	+84	3	19
2	Fiji (Q)	4	2	0	2	88	83	+5	3	11
3	Australia	4	2	0	2	90	91	-1	3	11
4	Portugal	4	1	1	2	64	103	-39	0	6
5	Georgia	4	0	1	3	64	113	-49	1	3

Review

There were a couple of shocks and surprises in this pool, as 2-time champion Australia exited the Rugby World Cup at the pool stage for the first time in this proud rugby nation’s history. Wales turned around its pre-tournament form and won all of its matches to qualify for the quarterfinals in 1^st place, which included a record 40-6 defeat of Australia and a thrilling 32-26 win over Fiji, with Fiji nearly sneaking the match at the death.

Fiji replicated their 2007 heroics by qualifying for the quarterfinals in second place, based mainly on its 22-15 win against Australia, its first win against the Wallabies in 69 years. Fiji was not in great form in its other 2 matches, scraping past Georgia 17-12 and then losing 23-24 to Portugal, in one of the shocks of the tournament, which meant that Australia and Fiji both ended on 11 points However, Fiji still qualified based on the fact that it had beaten the Wallabies in their matchup.

The Wallabies undeniably experienced its worst World Cup ever, resulting in head coach Eddie Jones resigning shortly after the conclusion of the tournament. Georgia drew with Portugal and was somewhat of a disappointment (recording no wins), while Portugal was arguably the “Cinderella” story of the tournament, as in only its 2^nd tournament, it recorded its first win and beat a nation ranked in the top 10 while drawing with another team ranked higher than them.

Pool D

Position	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	PF	PA	PD	Bonus	Points
1	England (Q)	4	4	0	0	150	39	+111	2	18
2	Argentina (Q)	4	3	0	1	127	69	+58	2	14
3	Japan	4	2	0	2	109	107	+2	1	9
4	Samoa	4	1	0	3	92	75	+17	3	7
5	Chile	4	0	0	4	27	215	-188	0	3

Review

Pool D did not serve up too many surprises as Japan failed to replicate its 2019 heroics where it qualified for the quarterfinals. England qualified for the quarterfinals in 1^st place and managed to turn around its dicey pre-tournament form by going back to basics and playing a conservative game that served it well, albeit in a fairly easy pool. Its toughest match was against Argentina, but it managed to thump Los Pumas 27-10, despite being reduced to 14 men for the majority of the match after an early Tom Curry red card. Potential cracks in the team’s fallibility were exposed in a tight 18-17 final pool win over Samo that required a comeback from 17-8 down.

Argentina couldn’t really get going in its pool matches but did bounce back from its opening defeat to qualify for the quarterfinals in 2^nd place in the pool. The team’s best result was an exciting 39-27 win over Japan that secured its qualification for the next round. Japan flattered to deceive, folding 34-12 to England, despite 2 other comfortable wins.

Knockout Matches

Quarter-final 1

Wales (17) v Argentina (29)

14 October 2023, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

Referees: Jaco Peyper & Karl Dickson

Argentina produced its best performance of the 2023 Rugby World Cup when it defeated Wales 29-17. The Pumas were behind the Welsh for large portions of the match, as Wales led 10-6 at halftime after a try from flyhalf Dan Biggar.

A Wales try by scrumhalf Tomos Williams in the second half seemed to have given Wales the edge, but a try by Joel Sclavi in the 68^th minute and an intercept try by the veteran flyhalf Nicholas Sanchez in the 77^th minute saw Argentina eventually pull away. Despite trailing until the 68^th minute, Argentina arguably enjoyed the better of the run of play but was stifled by its own mistakes.

Noticeably, the match was disrupted in the 16^th minute by an injury to South Africa referee Jaco Peyper, who was consequently replaced by England referee Karl Dickson

Quarter-final 2

Ireland (24) v New Zealand (28)

14 October 2023, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Referee: Wayne Barnes

An epic quarterfinal saw the All Blacks defeat Ireland 28-24. Unusually, New Zealand went into the match as underdogs but managed to maintain a lead throughout the game. After two early Richie Mo’unga penalties, the All Blacks scored the 1^st try through winger Leicester Fainga'anuku and led 13-0 after the conversion by Mo’unga.

Ireland fought back through a Johnny Sexton penalty and a stunning try by Bundee Aki, which was converted, to trail 13-10. It then became a ding-dong- battle, with Ardie Savea’s unconverted try being matched by a try by Irish scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park, resulting in the All Blacks leading 18-17 at half-time.

New Zealand pulled ahead 25-17 after a break from Mo’unga led to a Will Jordan try, but Ireland closed the gap to 25-25 in the 64^th minute thanks to a penalty try from a collapsed maul that lead to a yellow card for hooker Codie Taylor. Jordie Barrett crucially held an Irish player up over the line during the yellow card phase, and the All Blacks led 28-24 after a 69th-minute Jordie Barrett penalty. The Irish put together 37 phases in the last play of the game but could not break through an impenetrable All Blacks defence.

Quarter-final 3

England (30) v Fiji (24), 15 October 2023, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

Referee: Mathieu Reynal

England saw off Fiji 30-24 in its quarterfinal, despite scoring 2 tries to the 3 of Fiji, as they used their forward pack and superior physicality to gain an early ascendancy. England comfortably led 21-10 at halftime thanks to 3 penalties from Owen Farrell and tries from Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant, with Fiji responding with a try from Viliame Mata.

In the second half, Fiji displayed great enterprise and their traditional penchant for running rugby to score 2 quick tries in the 64^th and 68^th minute through Peni Ravai and Vilimoni Botitu, respectively. This resulted in the scores being tied at 24-24, and a potential upset looked like it was on the card. However, England maintained its composure as Farrell scored a drop goal and another penalty to eventually pull away from the islanders.

Quarter-final 4

France (28) v South Africa (29)

15 October 2023, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Referee: Ben O’ Keeffe

The Springboks displayed nerves of steel and underlined its big match temperament as it squeaked past France 29-28 in a pulsating quarterfinal that many pundits have recognised as one of the best rugby games of all time.

France came out of the blocks like a team possessed, scoring the first try in the 4^th minute through prop Cyril Baille to lead 7-0. South Africa responded through a try from Kurt-Lee Arendse in the 8^th minute and then a try to Damian de Allende in the 18^th minute before a try by French hooker Peato Muvaka in the 22^nd minute levelled the scores at 12-12.

In a moment for the World Cup history books, Cheslin Kolbe managed to charge down French flyhalf Thomas Ramo’s sideline conversion. Further tries by Kolbe and Baille, as well as a Ramos penalty saw France lead 22-19 at half-time, with Eben Etzebeth in the bin for a yellow card.

The French attack was not as prominent in the second half as the Bok defence kept them at bay, but the French still led 25-19 in the 65^th minute. The Springboks then managed to make their way upfield from their own 22, resulting in Etzebeth scoring a decisive try that put the Springboks in the lead. Handre Pollard kicked a 52-metre penalty in the 69^th minute which meant that France couldn’t pull ahead after Ramos’s 73rd-minute penalty.

France attacked right to the last minute in the Bokke’s half until scrumhalf Faf de Klerk ripped the ball away from prop Reda Wahrdi and it was kicked out in glee to signal the end of a pulsating match.

Semi-final 1

Argentina (6) v New Zealand (44)

20 October 2023, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Referee: Angus Gardner

The first of the 2023 Rugby World Cup semifinals turned out to be somewhat of a damp squib, with the All Blacks dominating for most of the match and securing an easy 44-6 victory over Argentina after leading 20-6 at halftime. The Argentinians were fairly competitive for the first 20 minutes of the match but were put away easily after that as the All Blacks ran in 7 tries to none.

Will Jordan scored a hat trick, Shannon Frizzell scored a brace of tries while Aaron Smith and Jordie Barrett scored 1 try each. Ultimately, Argentina failed to live up to the big occasion and was no match for the All Blacks’ slick, multi-phase, high-tempo strategy.

Semi-final 2

England v South Africa

21 October 2023, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Referee: Ben O’ Keeffe

The Springboks produced another great escape as they came back from being 15-6 down in the 68^th minute to win 16-15 and advance to their second consecutive Rugby World Cup Final. England had the upper hand for the majority of the match, thanks to a smart tactical kicking game and rainy conditions that suited England’s strategy. Employing numerous box kicks and up and unders, England put South Africa under massive pressure, which resulted in Springbok mistakes and an early 6-0 lead through 2 Owen Farrell penalties.

Manie Libbok got South Africa on the board with a penalty but was substituted in the 31^st minute for Handre Pollard. Farrell kicked 2 more penalties and Pollard 1 penalty as England led 12-6 at half-time. South Africa struggled to gain ascendancy after halftime, and after Farrell kicked a monster drop goal in the 53^rd minute, it seemed that it wasn’t going to be the Bok’s day or tournament

The turning point was the scrumming power provided by loosehead prop Retshegofaditswe “Ox” Nché, who helped the Springboks win crucial scrum penalties: the first penalty led to a kick near the try line that enabled lock RG Snyman to score a try that was converted by Handré Pollard, while the second scrum penalty allowed Pollard to kick a 49-metre penalty in the 77th minute that put South Africa ahead for the first time in the match.

The Boks held on to win 16-15 in a match where they had seemed destined to lose but somehow found the resolve to win.

Bronze final

Argentina (23) v England (26)

27 October 2023, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Referee: Nic Berry

Third-place playoff matches are often low-key affairs, but this match turned out to be quite entertaining as England beat Argentina 26-23 to secure a bronze medal that seemed unlikely before the start of the tournament.

England scored an early try through 8^th man Ben Earl and 3 Farrel penalties in the 1st half, while Argentina replied with a try by scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli to trail 16-10 at halftime. The Pumas then hit the lead early in the second half with a stunning try by flyhalf Santiago Carreras. England responded straight away though with a charge-down try by hooker Theo Dan and held onto their lead for the rest of the game to seal third place.

Final

New Zealand (11) v South Africa (12)

28 October 2023, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Referee: Wayne Barnes

It could not be more appropriate that the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final culminated match between the “greatest rivals” in rugby union- South Africa and New Zealand, in a rematch of the 1995 final. And much like that final, the Bokke triumphed once again, beating the All Blacks 12-11 in a nail-biting match that saw a red card in the 28^th minute for New Zealand captain Sam Cane. The Springbok win was built on the back of stern defence as the men in Green and Gold broke the tackle record for a World Cup match with 209 tackles. Springbok flank and Man of the Match Pieter-Steph du Toit was heroic it that regard, making an astonishing 28 tackles.

South Africa gained the early ascendancy as Shannon Frizell was yellow-carded in the 2^nd minute for a cleanout that resulted in Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi leaving the match with an injury. Three penalties to one from Mo’unga meant that South Africa led 9-3 before Cane was sent off for a dangerous head-high tackle (initially a yellow card, red on review). While the Boks went into half-time 12-6 and an extra man up, New Zealand displayed tremendous fighting spirit in the 2^nd half, as a Siya Kolisi yellow card in the 45^th minute for a head clash evened things up.

New Zealand then scored the first of the final through Aaron Smith, but the try was disallowed as there had been a knock-on in the buildup. The All Blacks wasn't denied a few minutes later though when Beauden Barrett went over in the corner for his second try in a World Cup Final. Crucially, the conversion kick from the touchline was missed by Mo’unga, and South Africa still led 12-11.

The Springboks were under even more pressure in the last 10 minutes, with Cheslin Kolbe yellow card for a deliberate slap-down that gave Jordie Barrett the chance to put New Zealand in the lead with a 50 m penalty. However, the ball sailed wide of the post.

Try as they might, New Zealand could not break down South Africa’s defence, as the Boks held out to secure their second straight Rugby World Cup title.

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