PARIS, Oct 29 (Reuters) - A record fourth Rugby World Cup showed South Africa's dogged determination, which saw the team dig deep at critical moments.
Few sides have had as bruising a route to World Cup success as the Springboks in this tournament, playing against each of the other top six ranked nations on their way to the podium.
They edged three successive knockout stage matches by a single point to claim the Webb Ellis Cup.
"As a South African, as a Springbok, you always believe you are going to win," said centre Jesse Kriel.
"We thought we can't mess this up because we believed from 2018 they had the ability to win the World Cup.
Persons:
Webb, Jesse Kriel, Handre Pollard, Jacques Nienaber, I'm, flyhalf Pollard, Kriel, Alexander Smith
Organizations:
Rugby, Springboks, New Zealand, Stade de France, Springbok, Thomson
Locations:
New, Paris, South Africa, Jesse Kriel . South Africa, Japan, Ireland, France, England