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Cape Town - Sport24's Herman Mostert highlights FIVE talking points following South Africa's 32-12 Rugby World Cup final win over England in Yokohama:
1. A scrum masterclass
There's no doubt that the foundation for South Africa's win was built on their dominance at scrum time.
The Springboks decimated the England scrum, winning as many as five penalties in this facet.
England were on the back foot from the get-go after losing prop Kyle Sinckler to injury in the third minute and it set the tone for a horror evening up front.
Bok starting props Tendai Mtawarira and Frans Malherbe were immense and when Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch arrived early in the second half, the Boks kept their foot on the throttle.
Apart from one scrum where they caught South Africa off guard, England were constantly on the back foot and it proved terminal.
2. Rassie outfoxes Eddie
I reckon it's fair to say that Bok coach Rassie Erasmus outfoxed his counterpart Eddie Jones with the tactics employed on the day.
Unlike earlier in the tournament where there was excessive kicking from the Springboks, they mixed things up more in the final and it caught England off guard.
The Springboks got the balance between when to run and when to kick spot on - and kept England guessing throughout.
3. Staunch Bok defence
The Springboks boast the best defensive system in world rugby at present.
England simply could find no way through a resolute South African "wall".
There was a period around the 30-minute mark when England launched several attacking forays near the South Africa tryline but were held out.
Had they scored a try there it would have given them a 10-6 lead and perhaps the momentum of the contest would have swung.
Here, defence coach Jacques Nienaber deserves a special mention. Nienaber has gone largely under the radar but he's come a long way with Erasmus.
The duo started working together at the Cheetahs some years back when Nienaber was still the team's physiotherapist.
Erasmus then brought him along to the Stormers and they also worked together at Munster in Ireland.
It's no doubt a special relationship and it will stand South African rugby in good stead in the coming years...
4. Performing when it really matters
There's no doubt that the Springboks are a team for the big occasion.
While South Africa's cricketers and footballers so often flatter to deceive, the rugby team has proved itself as one that steps up on the big stage.
The Springboks have played three Rugby World Cup finals and won them all - the only nation to have made the World Cup final and never losing one.
The Boks also became the first team ever to win the World Cup while losing a game in the tournament itself - they lost 23-13 to New Zealand in the pool stages - while they are also the first team in history to win the Rugby Championship and World Cup in the same season.
Beware of the Boks when it really matters!
5. Try-scoring duck broken
It was the first Rugby World Cup final in which the Springboks managed to score a try and fitting that the two try-scorers were wingers.
Chester Williams and James Small, the two starting wingers in the 1995 final against New Zealand, both passed away earlier this year and would no doubt have been proud to witness Saturday's heroics.
Bok fans will cherish fact that South Africa's two try-scorers - Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe - wore Nos 11 and 14 on their backs respectively...
