Flashback to when it last went down
It’s nearly 30 years since South Africa and New Zealand last faced each other in a World Cup final, the Springboks winning 15–12 in Johannesburg to unite a post-apartheid South Africa as the Rainbow Nation.
The Guardian’s Richard Williams was in Johannesburg to report on the momentous fixture, and you can revisit his match report here
Match Officials
It’s an all-English panel of disciplinarians out there and in the video booth, with Wayne Barnes deservedly getting the nod for his first World Cup Final.
What price on another Karl Dickson takeover?
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (England), Matthew Carley (England)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)
A tweet from Aotearoa..
@bloodandmud The sun's not been up long here in Wellington. The air is cold, but remarkably calm. Big ol' mug of tea in hand, I'm ready for kick off. Let's hope it's yesterday and good night for SA.
— Paul Cockburn now also PaulInPorirua@mastodon.nz (@PaulInPorirua) October 28, 2023
Pre match reading to calm the nerves
New Zealand bring Brodie Retallick back at the expense of Sam Whitelock, the only change to the XV that marmalised Argentina in the semi-final.
Jacques Nienaber makes two switches to his starting lineup as the 2019 winning halfback paring of Faf De Klerk and Handré Pollard is preferred to Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok. That pair can look forward to playing a full 80 minutes as 7:1 bench split has made a risky return, meaning Willie Le Roux is the only backs cover on the bench.
The starting XVs have a combined total of nearly 2000 caps, experience that will come in handy when the adrenaline kicks in.
New Zealand:
15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 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 Sam 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 (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jasper Wiese, 23 Willie le Roux
How are you doing out there? Let me have all your thoughts on this enormous clash via the Email or you can tweet @bloodandmud
Eight weeks and it all comes down to this: the fiercest rivalry in the sport of rugby union competing for the right to hoist the Rugby World Cup and hold the title for four more years.
In this era of multiple international matches and mundanely titled tournaments dotted about the calendar, it could be tempting to consign another match between New Zealand and South Africa into the “yeah, so what?” column; but in this case that would be erroneous. For starters this is a World Cup Final and that’s before we consider the context. This is the first meeting at this stage of the competition since the Bok victory in 1995 – Joel Stransky and all that – and rumours and insinuations have abounded for years about the condition of the All Black team for that match and the reasons for it. Whatever tenuous link to the truth these tales hold, the sense of a wrong to be righted on the NZ side has persisted and today presents their first opportunity to expunge that failure.
In the afterglow of the 2019 victory in 2019, Rassie Erasmus said, “We have to use this to build for next six, seven, eight years, we have to use this to put South African rugby back at the top”. The victory over the British & Irish Lions in 2021 put them right up there, but a victory here would allow them official entrance to the pantheon because for the Springboks this match presents an opportunity for immortality. The 2011-2015 All Blacks, the best team the sport has ever produced, are the only squad to have retained a Rugby World Cup. Siya Kolisi and his men could match that achievement today.
Since the last World Cup, the sides have played one other six times taking three victories a piece and each side has also already lost a game in the tournament. Whoever triumphs here becomes the first team to take a fourth title.
What I’m saying is that it could not better poised as an occasion or narrative, OK?
Settle yourselves in, this one will be the business.