The Springboks face the All Blacks in the 2023 World CUp final on Saturday! Get all of the latest team news, kick-off times, betting odds and more here!
And then there were two! This Rugby World Cup has been an absolute rollercoaster, with the Springboks and All Blacks set to clash under the lights at the Stade de France this Saturday.
All of the talk heading into this competition was around Ireland and France who, to be fair, boasted generational teams. Operating under the radar, however, the Springboks and the All Blacks find themselves in the big dance and a tantalising repeat of that 1995 final.
The Springboks have ridden their luck in the knockouts. They traded blows with France in a ridiculous quarter-final before digging deep to earn a come-from-behind win in appalling conditions against England.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, knocked Ireland out in another memorable quarter-final before cruising past Argentina last weekend. Ian Foster’s men will certainly be fresher, but come the final whistle on Saturday the Boks (now ranked no1) will have faced five (and beaten four) of the six top-ranked teams on the IRB standings.
Betting Odds
The bookies can’t split ’em! Here at Hollywoodbets, both sides have been priced up at 92/100, with the draw – a real possibility – trading at 22/1.
To Win Match
New Zealand 92/100 | Draw 22/1 | South Africa 92/100
Handicap
New Zealand (+0.5) 17/20 | South Africa (-0.5) 19/20
Team News
Jacques Nienaber has opted for a 7-1 split on the bench against the All Blacks. Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard slot back into the starting XV with Manie Libbok cruelly missing out on the matchday 23 altogether. The decision to omit Libbok and opt for the 7-1 split would certainly have been made easier by the weatherman. 13-knot winds and rain all week leading up to and on the day of the final.
Expect a forward-based attritional battle with Faf de Klerk to do plenty of kicking from the base of the ruck with heaps of rain expected in Paris on Saturday evening.
Ian Foster named his 23 a couple of hours later. There were only two changes with Brodie Retallick returning to the starting line-up with Sam Whitelock dropping to the bench.
The other change saw Nepo Laulala named on the wood in place of Fletcher Newell. Laulala will have the unenviable task of packing down against Ox Nche in the second half.
Springboks
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handre 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.
Subs: 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.
All Blacks
15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 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
Subs: 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
The most experienced #Springboks team ever will line up for the #RWC2023 Final against New Zealand in Paris on Saturday - more here: https://t.co/oySTFCRVOo 🇿🇦#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/JEeGNVyjI1
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 26, 2023
When And Where To Watch?
Great news for Mzansi! The final will be broadcast LIVE on both SuperSport and SABC.
If watching on SABC, tune into SABC 2 from 20:00 for the build-up. SuperSport’s build-up on Grandstand (channel 201 on DStv) will begin an hour earlier at 19:00. The match itself will kick off at 21:00.
Stade de France
Opening in Saint-Denis in 1998 with a construction cost of a massive €364 million, France’s premier sports ground has a capacity of a whopping 81 338.
Springbok supporters will have happy memories of Stade de France, with John Smit’s side beating England 15-6 in the 2007 final.
On top of the 2007 RWC final, the famous ground hosted the France v South Africa and Ireland v New Zealand quarter-finals as well as both of last week’s semi-finals.
