Why Boks had the World Cup final won as early as the pre-game coin toss

Former Springboks attack coach Swys de Bruin has provided a unique perspective on the coin toss ahead of last Saturday’s World Cup final, claiming it had a huge impact on a match South Africa went on to win 32-12 against England.

In what looks to be a fairly innocuous encounter between captains Siya Kolisi and Owen Farrell with referee Jerome Garces, de Bruin explains how Kolisi dominated that situation through his body language. This is what he said: 

While some may not read into this too much, de Bruin emphasised how important this was. He also explained how Kolisi had changed the way that he conducts himself over the past few months. 

The 59-year-old de Bruin left his post with the Springboks in August due to personal reasons, but he knows the players well and this makes his analysis interesting. 

What is most significant is that this pre-game meeting between the captains was in essence a microcosm of how the final panned out, as South Africa physically dominated England from the very first minute. 

A number of excuses have been laid out for England in the wake of their 20-point loss, namely that their bus arrived half an hour late to the stadium and that it was hard to replicate the intensity that they showed against the All Blacks the week before. 

Ultimately, Eddie Jones’ side looked a shell of the team that stunned the world with their sublime performance against the reigning champions in the semi-final. 

They were ravaged at the scrum and found it almost impossible to penetrate the Springboks defence. In the end, it resulted in a comfortable win for Rassie Erasmus’ side. 

What happened at the coin toss may just be Farrell’s style - and there is indeed a chance that some footage can be overanalysed, but there is no doubt that Kolisi’s conduct embodied South Africa’s dominant performance in Yokohama. 

WATCH: Siya Kolisi and Rassie Erasmus talk with the media after South Africa's arrival home with the World Cup