It's finally here…the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final! On Saturday, 28 October 2023, at 21:00, New Zealand and South Africa will clash in a potentially epic final. The two countries could not have had two more different semifinal clashes, with the All Blacks thumping Argentina 44-6, and the Springboks coming back from the dead in the last 15 minutes to squeak past England 16-15. Now, the two greatest rivals will go at it yet again for the chance to be crowned world champions for a record 4th time.
Check out our preview of the Rugby World Cup final below:
Final: 28 October
New Zealand v South Africa, 21:00, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Teams:
New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11. Mark Telea, 11 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nché, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jasper Wiese, 23 Willie le Roux
Preview
Anyone with even a basic understanding of the history of the NZ/SA rivalry will know that this final will have extra spice and meaning to it. The rivalry between these two teams is considered to be perhaps the greatest in the history of rugby, despite the lopsided win count in favour of New Zealand since the advent of professional rugby. The mutual respect and fierce competition between the Boks and All Blacks is built on the fact that these two teams are the most successful in the history of rugby and have always valued a win over the other to be the ultimate mark of rugby supremacy. There have been so many classic matches between the two teams over the years, including the 15-12 win by South Africa in the 1995 final, and we’re all set for another classic match in the 2023 final.
All Blacks Road to the Final
The All Blacks quest for their 4th World Cup title started poorly, as they were beaten comprehensively 27-13 by hosts France. As expected, the New Zealanders managed to pick themselves up and thrashed easier opponents after that, walloping Namibia 71-3 and Uruguay 73-0, and annihilating 6 Nations team Italy 96-17 in a performance that made a statement to other teams. The All Blacks finished second in Pool B - the first time they had finished second in their Pool and lost a Pool match.
The All Blacks went in as underdogs for their quarterfinal match against Ireland but managed to beat the Irish 28-24 in an absolute World Cup classic, with the Men in Black racing to a 13-0 lead and never relinquishing the lead, despite a determined fightback by Ireland. The All Blacks then had little trouble dispatching Argentina 44-6 in a disappointingly lopsided semifinal, with the Argentinians only being competitive for the first 20 minutes before being blown out of the water by a slick New Zealand that was able to employ their much-heralded, high-tempo strategy.
South Africa Road to the Final
It’s doubtful that any other team has endured such a tough road to the Rugby World Cup Final, with the men in Green and Gold having to play 4 of the top 5 ranked teams in the world. The Springboks began their campaign by defeating 5th-ranked Scotland 18-3 before thrashing a limited Romania side 76-0. The team then lost 13-8 to number 1 ranked Ireland, in a match that could have gone the other way were it not for errant goalkicking from the Springboks. South Africa then finished the pool stages by beating Tonga 49-18 in an extremely physical match. In the end, the Boks finished 2nd in Pool B.
The Springboks faced the daunting prospect of a quarterfinal clash against the hosts and number 2 ranked team, France, who had topped their pool and were in terrific form. In another World Cup match for the ages, the Springboks managed to beat France 29-28 in a nailbiter where the Boks were often on the back foot. This result set up a semifinal against 2019 finalist England, who went into the match as massive underdogs.
Rainy conditions along with a smart tactical kicking game allowed England, ranked 5th in the world before the match, to lead 15-6 in the 67th minute thanks to 4 Owen Farrell penalties and 1 drop goal. At that stage, the Springboks had made mistakes galore while their forward power had been cleverly nullified by England.
The turning point was the scrumming power provided by loosehead prop Retshegofaditswe “Ox” Nché, who helped the Springboks win crucial scrum penalties: the first penalty led to a kick near the try line that enabled lock RG Snyman to score a try that was converted by Handré Pollard, while the second scrum penalty allowed Pollard to kick a 49 metre penalty in the 77th minute that put South Africa ahead for the first time in the match. The Boks held on to win 16-15 in a match where they had seemed destined to lose but somehow found the resolve to win.
What to expect in the final
Historically, the All Blacks go into any match, World Cup or otherwise, as firm favourites thanks to their outstanding record and reputation for exciting, fast-paced, skilful and dynamic rugby. This “favourites” tag has been somewhat lessened since the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with the New Zealanders experiencing some humbling results, including a home series loss to Ireland for the first time, losing twice to Argentina and getting smashed 35-7 by the Springboks at Twickenham August – the largest defeat in their proud history. But after their epic win over Ireland in the quarterfinals, the All Blacks seem to have regained their confidence and mojo. And with South Africa having endured two nail-biting 1-point wins in the quarter and semis, they will once again head into the match as favourites.
The Springboks have made their intentions clear from the outset by naming a “7-1” bench (7 reserve forwards and 1 reserve back), which is the same strategy they employed when they beat New Zealand at Twickenham. Its therefore exceedingly obvious that the South Africans intend to dominate the All Blacks upfront, using essentially two forward packs as a way to impose their physical game on New Zealand, thereby nullifying their free-flowing running game that can cause havoc to so many teams.
The All Blacks will be fully aware of the intended Springbok tactics and will strategise ways to match the Boks upfront and bypass their “rush” defence through clever and intricate backline moves. However, the latter will be impossible if the All Blacks don’t ensure that they have forward parity, at a minimum.
The weather may play a huge role in the match, with a 93% chance of rain predicted for Saturday’s match. It is debatable whether a wet game would suit New Zealand or South Africa more - the All Blacks players are more used to playing in wet conditions in New Zealand, and the Springboks' emphasis on forward play is usually more suitable for a wet weather game than a team seeking to play a lot with the ball in hand.
All in all, no one really knows what is going to happen, and that’s why rugby fans everywhere can’t wait for a potentially mouthwatering game between two of the giants of world Rugby.
Go Bokke!!
Get Your Game On
New Zealand (1.76), South Africa (2.09).
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Go Bokke!!!