Former England scrumhalf Matt Dawson has hailed the Springboks’ history-makers because the greatest-ever World Cup group.
By defending their World Cup title in Paris, the Springboks replicated the feats of the legendary All Blacks group that claimed back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2015.
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Following this 12 months’s match, South Africa now has 25 gamers who’ve two World Cup winner’s medals. Earlier than the match in France, solely Os du Randt (1995 and 2007) and Frans Steyn (2007 and 2019) have been Springboks who had gained two World Cups.
Of the 23 gamers who performed within the 2019 remaining in Yokohama, 14 have been included within the Bok matchday squad for the 2023 remaining in Paris.
New Zealand had 14 gamers who performed in 2011 and 2015, whereas Australia’s Wallabies had simply 5 gamers concerned of their 1991 and 1999 World Cup wins.
Nonetheless, writing for the BBC, Dawson proclaimed Siya Kolisi’s 2023 Boks as the all time World Cup group, after one-point wins over match hosts France, England and New Zealand by the playoffs.
“I don’t assume anybody has bought anyplace near that beforehand, and given the format going ahead, I’m unsure it’ll occur once more,” Dawson wrote in his BBC column.
“It’s not as a result of they’ve gained back-to-back tournaments, regardless that there have been 14 gamers within the matchday 23 that have been concerned in Japan 4 years in the past. It’s the character of how they’ve performed.
“To get out of a troublesome pool, which included Eire and Scotland, after which defeat hosts France within the quarter-final, England within the semi-final and New Zealand within the remaining, is a few achievement.
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“The All Blacks might have had higher particular person gamers once they gained in 2011 and 2015, however I’d go together with South Africa as a greater group,” Dawson added.
Former British & Irish Lions halfback Dawson famously didn’t choose a single Springbok in a mixed XV forward of the 2019 remaining in opposition to England.
Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Photographs
