Well, the World Cup final did not produce a scintillating display of running rugby. That was provided by the Pumas in their magnificent demolition of France in the 3rd place playoff. Jake White apparently told his side before the match to Keep It Simple, and they did that very well. England’s defense was magnificently aggressive, and it is possible that if the Bokke had tried harder to force a score they would have coughed up dangerous turnover ball and been caught in their own trap. It would have been ironic for them to lose to a breakaway try.

As it turned out, however, they kept things tight, took on the England pack, and at least stood tot-to-toe with them. They also avoided embarrassing turnovers and silly penalties. And when they got a kickable opportunity, Percy was flawless. That is the way that finals are generally won. He who makes the fewest mistakes is crowned champion.

As I said a couple of days ago, South Africa have been the form team of the tournament. They have no obvious weaknesses, and they always find something in the opposition that they can exploit. In this case their domination of the lineout made certain that England never had a reliable platform from which to attack. I was delighted to see Victor Matfield get the man of the match award. It would have been so easy to give it to Percy simply because he scored so many points, or to John Smit because he was the captain. Instead it went to someone whose work is often overlooked, but in this case was crucial to the success of his side.

Not much else left to say, really. It wasn’t a spectacular match. The best side won. See you all in New Zealand in four years time.