Rugby World Cup 2023 final: New Zealand’s national sport is finding someone to blame - Alice Soper

When I was a little kid, I played football. There was a player on my team who every time they went for a shot, if it missed, they would fall down after like they were injured. This performance of physical pain was a cover for their emotional reality. That they just weren’t quite good enough, at that moment, to score.

I’ve seen a lot of people falling over since the All Blacks came up short on Sunday. The referee, the TMO, the stalling tactics, the penalty kicking, all are to blame for the All Blacks not being able to score more points than the Springboks. The reality is, in games as tight as that one, you’ve got to take all the scoring opportunities on offer. Unfortunately for New Zealand, the Springboks were better at that on the day.

The wobbles started early, halftime analysis: devastated that the laws of rugby applied in this match. Pundits seemingly shocked that we were watching yet another classically low-scoring final. Quickly forgotten was the prediction that Ian Foster’s team would fall early. That their lacklustre performances in the lead-up to this World Cup campaign had left the black jersey looking a little worn.

All of this saw New Zealand Rugby taking the unprecedented step of announcing their next head coach before the current one had finished the job. It was hardly the sturdiest of platforms from which to launch.

But the team turned up and played some beautiful rugby. Over 90 percent success in both their scrums and lineouts ahead of the final. Kicking to regather and running the offload rugby we all know and love. It was easy to get caught up in that damn thing called hope.

The only guarantee though is that there are winners and losers in sports. Both teams are out there writing their stories and hoping for the fairy tale finish. The All Blacks were hunting for their redemption, while the Springboks looked to establish their rugby dynasty. There were moments, many moments, when the game could have gone either way. And folks are now trying to say that this wasn’t entertaining.

Just like England in last year’s World Cup final against the Black Ferns, the All Blacks fought valiantly for much of the match with a player down. Just like New Zealand, in last year’s final, the Springboks had their captain spend a spell in the bin. And just like the final moment of last year’s final, it all came down to a set piece play. But unlike last year, this time things didn’t go New Zealand’s way.

So we didn’t get the story of success that we wanted and so we quickly pivoted to what is truly New Zealand’s national sport, finding someone to blame. Having bought into Foster’s absolution, we went straight to our old mate, the referee - poor Wayne Barnes once again held up as the primary reason for New Zealand’s failures.

Never mind the fact that we teach schoolkids to paint a clear picture for referees at ruck time and Barnes only asked that Ardie Savea do the same. Never mind that we missed two kicks of our own. Never mind the decision folks are most mad about was called by the TMO. Never mind that the TMO was just enforcing the laws as they are written in 2023.

It’s a truly joyless exercise. That blinds us to how we can learn from the loss and turns the casual observer right off.

When you play club rugby, after a match, you give three cheers to the other team, one to the referee and one to the supporters. You break bread together and give speeches; you speak about how you’re proud of your team for giving it their all. You wish your opposition luck or congratulations. Fans, pundits and players alike, would do well to remember the grassroots way.

Get full coverage of the Rugby World Cup.