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 clear victory.
The first half was a battle of attrition with both teams delivering punishing tackles and several players leaving the game early with injuries. But it was the South African forward pack that set the tone, forcing England into several penalties during scrums, which contributed to a 12-6 South Africa lead at the half on four penalty goals from flyhalf Handré Pollard.