Why the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup truimph must be respected and how the All Blacks enhanced their legacy despite defeat

Imagine having an All Blacks World Cup squad with more than half the players based overseas.

That means no extended training camps during the year and no control over when and forhow long your players are used at franchise level. While Super Rugby Pacific teams generally respect the pyramid system in place here - where the long-term needs of the All Blacks take precedence - offshore clubs would only be interested in getting the most out of their assets, while players would return home at different times, in different states of fitness and health.

It would also mean a lot less of the invaluable combinations and cohesion that is developed by having teammates perform together for the Crusaders, Chiefs, Hurricanes etc. That would be a daunting prospect - but it is the reality for the Springboks.

Eighteen of their 33-man squad were selected from overseas, as South Africa long gave up the idea of preserving the jersey for domestic-based players. The state of their economy - and even their rugby economy - means they can’t.

It’s yet another reason why we can’t overlook South Africa’s achievement in winning successive World Cups in this era.

Sunday’s final was a mess, with so many if-onlys and what-ifs, tarnished by rugby’s complicated laws and even more complicated enforcement, via a clunky video system.

It’s left many Kiwis in a state of shock, anger or disbelief, mourning the Cup that could have so easily been ours.

But we can’t forget the Springboks’ accomplishments.

No other top-tier country, apart from Argentina, faces more logistical hurdles and travel demands, at either franchise or international level. And that’s on top of the constant political instability and economic pressures that make everything that much harder, with one of the highest levels of inequality in the world and the majority of the population living below the poverty line.

Despite all that, they prevailed in France, at a time when international rugby has never been so strong, with more contenders than ever.

They also took the hardest possible road, facing Ireland and Scotland in the group stages before their spectacular trifecta of one-point wins over France, England and New Zealand in the knockout stages.

We may not like the way they play and might feel aggrieved at the manner of their victory in the final but we should respect their perseverance and persistence against considerable odds.

Imagine working for four years towards the ultimate sporting goal.

Imagine being so close to your Everest that you can touch it - before it was snatched away.

Imagine losing the most controversial final in Rugby World Cup history, with a decent argument that several pivotal calls didn’t go your way.

Imagine the mental and physical toil of playing 70 minutes with 14 men, then being so near to the greatest triumph in tournament history.

There has never been a decider with as many flashpoints as this - not 1995, not 2011, not 2003.

The All Blacks had every reason to be bitter and twisted and angry and vengeful, which is why their post-match reaction spoke volumes.

For a team that is often criticised for being arrogant and entitled, they were magnanimous in the extreme, willing to take the most stinging defeat on the chin.

It’s hard to imagine that happening in other sports, especially football, where players and coaches are quick to redirect their anger on to the match officials or circumstances.

Think of Ardie Savea. At 30, at his peak, who doesn’t know if he will get another World Cup chance (though he should). Or Aaron Smith, in his last game of an extraordinary career, so close to a match-winning intervention, with his try that wasn’t.

Or Sam Cane, 31, a fortnight after his greatest All Black moment, having his worst, with a red card that he will have to live with “forever”, with no guarantee of redemption in four years.

Yet all of them - along with many other teammates - accepted their fate.

They spoke about not nailing the moments that mattered, about execution, about South Africa hanging tough.

They could have said so much more - which no one would blame them for - but they accepted the final result, accepted the doubt and accepted the unpredictability of sport in a way that few of us could. And that, as much as any deeds on the field, only enhances their greatness.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.