Odwa and Akona Ndungane share their thoughts ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
Odwa
“None of us saw this final when the tournament started. I think if you look at how both teams have played in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, you could argue that New Zealand will be more confident.
They won very comfortably against Argentina. On the other hand, South Africa struggled but still managed to get the win. I see that Rassie (Erasmus) and Jacques (Nienaber) have gone for a 7/1 split. It’s something that worked for them against New Zealand in their warm-up game.
They’ll know that in the final you don’t need to play a pretty game, you just need to win. The bench has really done well for the Boks and has won games like we saw in the semi-final. I’m leaning toward the Boks… the Boks by three.”
“It’s the final weekend of the Rugby World Cup and it’s the old rivalry between the Springboks and the All Blacks taking centre stage, and what a game it promises to be!
Both countries have won three World Cups, so there’s a record at stake. We know that the All Blacks had very good play-offs against Ireland and Argentina.
I think the Springboks are definitely underdogs coming into this game. They don’t need any motivation. They’re playing against the All Blacks, a repeat of the 1995 final.
I foresee the Boks having just enough. Looking at the bench you can see that they’re going to play a forward-dominant game. I think that the physicality that the Springboks bring will get them over the line, especially in the rain. I see the Boks winning by six points!”
