Kiyoshi Ota/Reuters
YOKOHAMA, Japan — South Africa captured its third Rugby World Cup championship on Saturday, defeating a favored England team, 32-12, and extending the dominance of teams from the Southern Hemisphere in the tournament.
The South Africans broke open a tight defensive struggle late in the second half behind tries by Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe to take the convincing victory.
Immediately after the match, the South African coach, Rassie Erasmus, said the victory came because of the players’ belief in themselves.
“This bunch of guys have been together for 19 weeks; we know one another really well,” he said.