All Blacks star Will Jordan on why the Springboks' World Cup win was 'no fluke'

South Africa became world champions for a record fourth time after they defeated Ian Foster's men 12-11 in a nailbiting final last October.

The Boks claimed one-point victories in all three of their knockout matches, overcoming France (29-28), England (16-15) and New Zealand on their journey to the Webb Ellis Cup.

It showed remarkable resilience and Jordan had nothing but admiration for Jacques Nienaber's side, who became the second team after the All Blacks to defend the title.

"You've got to respect the Springboks' ability to withstand pressure and pull out tight games. They won the quarter, semi and final all by one point, which some people might say is a bit of a fluke," the 26-year-old told the What a Lad podcast.

"But it's not. Good teams have an ability to win tight games. You've got to respect that."

While the Springboks obviously revelled in their achievement, it was absolutely galling for Jordan and the All Blacks, who came so close to lifting the trophy.

"There are some moments in that game I look back on and am not fond of, or still keep me up at night a bit, but it's one of those things where losing a World Cup final does hurt," he said.

"I'm definitely not over it yet, there's still a lot of thought that goes into it, but the beauty of footy is that it rolls on."

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