Table of Contents
South Africa won the Rugby World Cup on Saturday. They beat New Zealand 12-11 in the final at Stade de France near Paris.
South Africa is now the first team to win the Rugby World Cup four times.
New Zealand, also called the All Blacks, were reduced to 14 men in the first half. The All Black’s captain, Sam Cane, was sent off for a red card offense. Although the team had one less player than South Africa, New Zealand was able to score the only try in the match.
Unfortunately for New Zealand, it was not enough.
At halftime, South Africa was winning 12-6. No team has ever made a comeback and won a World Cup final when losing at halftime.
South Africa, also called the Springboks, stayed strong in the second half of the game. Springboks’ Handre Pollard scored all 12 points from penalties in the first half. It was enough to win the game and keep the title they won four years ago in Japan.
New Zealand was hoping to win their fourth World Cup. Their coach, Ian Foster, says that the red cards and yellow cards had a big impact on this game. He also had some concerns about the referee’s decisions.
Vocabulary
- Beat – to defeat an opponent or win a competition; to win a match/game against another person/team
- Final – The last round/game of a competition
- Near – Not far away, close
- Called – Named; To give something a name
- Reduce – to make less; make smaller; decrease; bring down; shrink
- Men – players
- Half – e.g., A soccer game has two 45-minute halves. It is 90 minutes long.
- Captain – a player that is the leader of the team/players on the sports field
- Send off – To make a player leave a game
- Red card – A card that means a player has to leave the game for doing something wrong
- Offense – Breaking the rules in a game or doing something wrong
- Although – even though; despite the fact; however; but
- Try – A type of score in rugby;
- Match – A match is a game or contest between two teams or individuals where they try to win by playing a sport
- Halftime – The middle of the game when players take a break
- Comeback – when a team that was losing at the beginning of a game wins the game; To recover from a defeat or disadvantage
- Penalty – A punishment in a game for breaking the rules
- Title – the position of being the champion of a major sports competition; the holder of the first prize trophy
- Hope – something good that you want to happen in the future; a confident feeling about what will happen in the future
- Coach – manager; the boss of a team
- Yellow card – A warning card for a player who did something wrong
- Impact – influence; effect; consequence; to make change
- Concern – worry; anxiousness; anxiety; unease; distress;
- Referee (ref) – an official person who watches and controls a sports game; judge
- Decision – a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities/options; choice; ruling;
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- What do you think of South Africa’s victory?
- Do you enjoy watching or playing sports like rugby? Why or why not?
- What do you think the players and the coach of New Zealand might have said in the locker room at halftime?
- What can be done to improve a referee’s decisions in a sports game?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
South Africa _____ the Rugby World Cup on Saturday. They beat New Zealand 12-11 in the _____ at Stade de France near Paris.
South Africa is _____ the first team to win the Rugby World Cup _____ times.
New Zealand, also _____ the All Blacks, were reduced to 14 _____ in the first half. The All Black’s captain, Sam Cane, _____ sent off for a red card offense. _____ the team had one less player than South Africa, New Zealand was _____ to score the only try in the match.
Unfortunately _____ New Zealand, it was not enough.
At halftime, South Africa was _____ 12-6. No team has ever made a comeback and _____ a World Cup final when losing at halftime.
South Africa, also _____ the Springboks, stayed strong in the second half of the _____. Springboks’ Handre Pollard _____ all 12 points from penalties in the first half. It was _____ to win the game and keep the title they won four _____ ago in Japan.
New Zealand was _____ to win their fourth World Cup. Their _____, Ian Foster, says that the red cards and yellow _____ had a big impact on this game. He also _____ some concerns about the referee’s _____.
