South Africa became the first team to win the Rugby World Cup four times when they beat New Zealand 12-11 on Saturday after the All Blacks were reduced to 14 men in the final at the Stade de France.
Only a single yellow card had been shown in nine previous World Cup finals but the crackdown on foul play led to four being handed out over 80 minutes of intense rugby at Stade de France.
All Blacks skipper Sam Cane suffered the ignominy of being the first player to be sent off in a title-decider when his offence was upgraded to a red after a bunker review just before halftime.
Despite playing for three quarters of the match with 14 men, the All Blacks stuck to their ball-running game plan and scored the game’s only try through Beauden Barrett to draw within a point of the lead just before the hour mark.
The Springboks held firm under huge pressure in the final quarter, however, and Handre Pollard’s four first-half penalties proved sufficient to retain the title they won four years ago in Japan.
“There are no ways I can explain it. The All Blacks took us to the end, they took us to a dark place,” Kolisi said.
“Credit to my boys too for the fight. I am just grateful we could pull it off.
“There is so much going wrong in our country, and we are like the last line of defence and we can show that we can achieve so much together.”
All Blacks flanker Shannon Frizell was the first to be shown a yellow card as early as the third minute for a clean-out on Bongi Mbonambi that forced the Springboks hooker off the pitch with a leg injury.
Fly-half Pollard kicked the penalty and added another in the 12th minute while New Zealand waited nervously to hear whether Frizell’s yellow would be upgraded to a red.
Frizell did come back on and helped New Zealand win a penalty that Richie Mo’unga slotted over to cut the deficit but Pollard replied with a 46-metre effort to give South Africa a 9-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
New Zealand were down to 14 men again just before the half-hour mark when Cane clattered head-first into Springboks centre Jesse Kriel but this time there was no reprieve and the All Blacks skipper sat out the rest of the final.
Pollard kicked his fourth penalty after the red card was confirmed and even though Mo’unga replied with another three-pointer before the break, the Springboks went into halftime a man up with a 12-6 lead.
No team had ever recovered from a halftime deficit to win a World Cup final and the Springboks came out flying in the second half looking to drive home their advantage.
Kolisi, however, was sent to the sin bin in the 46th minute for a high tackle on Ardie Savea and New Zealand scrum-half Aaron Smith thought he had scored the first try of the contest eight minutes later after a brilliant break from Mo’unga.
That score was called back for a knock-on earlier in the move but Beauden Barrett was awarded a try four minutes later despite winger Mark Telea looking to have fumbled the ball forward in the tackle before the fullback touched down.
It was the first try South Africa had conceded in four World Cup finals but Mo’unga missed the conversion from out wide and the Springboks held onto a one-point lead at 12-11.
Kolisi had by now returned to the fray and South Africa brought their famed “bomb squad” off the bench to relieve the starting forwards.
South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe was the fourth player to be yellow-carded seven minutes from time but New Zealand’s Jordie Barrett struck the subsequent 48-metre penalty attempt wide of the posts.
New Zealand had also been hoping to win a fourth World Cup and coach Ian Foster thought the way the cards for Cane and Kolisi played out had been a decisive factor.
“The game has got a few issues it’s got to sort out,” he said. “That’s not sour grapes. There were two similar incidents, one was a red, one was a yellow, and that’s the game.”