Which team lost to South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final?

New Zealand lost to South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. Played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 28 October 2023, the final ended with South Africa winning 12–11.

The Springboks led 12–6 at half-time through four Handré Pollard penalties, while New Zealand’s points came from two Richie Mo’unga penalties. Beauden Barrett scored New Zealand’s only try in the second half, but Mo’unga missed the conversion that would have put the All Blacks ahead.

New Zealand faced an additional challenge when captain Sam Cane was sent off after a bunker review upgraded his yellow card to a red. Despite playing much of the match with 14 men, New Zealand nearly won; Jordie Barrett missed a late penalty from 48 metres.

The result gave South Africa a record fourth men’s Rugby World Cup title. It was also the first final in which both finalists had previously lost a match in the same tournament. A common mix-up is remembering New Zealand as champions because they had won the 2011 and 2015 finals; in 2023, South Africa retained the trophy.