2007 Rugby World Cup final
Event | 2007 Rugby World Cup | ||||||
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Date | 20 October 2007 | ||||||
Venue | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | ||||||
Man of the Match | Victor Matfield (South Africa) | ||||||
Referee | Alain Rolland (Ireland)[1] | ||||||
Attendance | 80,430 | ||||||
The 2007 Rugby World Cup final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris, to determine the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. South Africa beat England 15–6. Having also won the 1995 tournament, South Africa became the second country to win two World Cups, following Australia, who won in 1991 and 1999.[2]
England and South Africa, who won their semi-finals against
The match itself was
Path to the final
Both England and South Africa were placed in Pool A along with
England played Australia, who had finished top of Pool B, in their quarter-final. The match was a repeat of the 2003 World Cup final, with England coming out on top again, beating the Wallabies 12–10. All of England's points were scored by Jonny Wilkinson penalties. South Africa faced Fiji, who had defeated Wales to finish as runners-up behind Australia in Pool B. South Africa scored five tries to two and won 37–20. England played hosts France in their semi-final. Despite having less possession and territory England won 14–9. South Africa faced Argentina and scored four tries to one to win 37–13.
Match
Summary
First half
The match was kicked off by England's Jonny Wilkinson, whose kick was collected by Schalk Burger, before the ball was kicked into touch by Butch James, giving England the first line-out throw of the game. However, South Africa stole the ball to win the first line-out of the match. In the sixth minute, Mathew Tait attempted to run the ball from inside England's 22-metre line, only to be tackled and penalised for not releasing the ball in the ruck. South Africa's Percy Montgomery successfully converted the penalty to give the Springboks a 3–0 lead.
An up-and-under kick from England resulted in South African
After 21 minutes, England
Second half
The second half was kicked off by South Africa's Butch James, and the ball was caught by England's
In the 48th minute, Steyn made another break for South Africa and England flanker
In the 67th minute, South African captain John Smit was penalised for a collision with Mark Cueto as Cueto chased his own kick. Wilkinson kicked the ball into touch in South Africa's 22 from his own half, but England lost their resulting line-out to give South Africa possession. Requiring at least two scores to overhaul South Africa's lead, England kept attacking, and Wilkinson attempted a long-range drop goal in the 71st minute but was unsuccessful.
England kept possession for long periods during the last ten minutes, but were unable to break through the South African defence. They were penalised in the 75th minute for holding on in the tackle, and South Africa continued to try to play the match in England territory. England then knocked the ball on in the 79th minute, giving South Africa a scrum. The South African forwards secured the ball, and as soon as the clock ticked over the 80-minute mark, the ball was kicked into touch. Referee Rolland then blew the final whistle, and South Africa had won their second World Cup title. This was also the second World Cup title for retiring
Details
20 October 2007 21:00 UTC+2 |
England | 6–15 | South Africa |
Pen: Wilkinson (2/2) 13', 44' | Report | Pen: Montgomery (4/4) 7', 16', 40', 51' Steyn (1/2) 62' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,430 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
England
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South Africa
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
New Zealand )
Television match official: Australia )
Fourth official: Alan Lewis (Ireland) Fifth official: New Zealand )
|
Statistics
Statistic | England | South Africa |
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Tries | 0 | 0 |
Conversions | 0 | 0 |
Penalties (attempts) |
2/2 | 5/6 |
Drop goals (attempts) |
0/2 | 0/0 |
Scrums (won/lost) |
5/1 | 9/0 |
Line-outs (won/lost) |
19/7 | 13/0 |
Turnovers | 4 | 4 |
Tackles (made/attempts) |
77/88 | 81/97 |
Line breaks | 1 | 1 |
Possession | 55% | 45% |
Territory | 57% | 43% |
Time in opp. 22 | 6' 48" | 3' 22" |
Errors (hands/kicks/restart) |
10 (10/0/0) | 8 (6/2/0) |
Possession kicked (in play/touch/errors) |
44 (34/10/0) | 48 (28/18/2) |
Penalties conceded | 7 | 5 |
Replacements | 7 | 3 |
Yellow cards | 0 | 0 |
Red cards | 0 | 0 |
See also
References
- ^ "Jérôme Garcès to Referee Rugby World Cup 2019 Final".
- ^ "World Cup final 2007". BBC Sport. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Baldock, Andrew. "ARGENTINA WERE STARS OF BEST WORLD CUP". sportinglife.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- ^ Bond, David (22 October 2007). "Video referee right to disallow Mark Cueto try". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Remembering England's unlikely run to the 2007 Rugby World Cup final". Guardian. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- "Montgomery kicks South Africa to victory". The New Zealand Herald. 21 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- Harlow, Phil (20 October 2007). "World Cup final 2007 - As it happened". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
External links
- Knockout stage at rwc2007.irb.com