The Rugby World Cup final matchup is finally set after more than a month of intense contests. New Zealand were the first team to reach the final with a convincing victory over Argentina.
The successive semi-final was much more closely fought. South Africa edged past England 16-15. The Springboks overturned the Three Lions’ half-time lead in order to set up a clash of the heavyweights in the final with New Zealand.
England and Argentina will compete for a third-place finish in the tournament’s penultimate game, before the headline final fixture.
“𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.” 😊@dannycare on facing @lospumas again next week 👊#ENGvARG | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/XHok0f9ytb
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 22, 2023
Clash of the heavyweights
New Zealand and South Africa are historically as strong as they come in international rugby. Both have three World Cup titles, and the winner of this year’s final will become the new outright leader. In a bet on New Zealand vs South Africa, the Kiwis are the favourites at 5/6.
The game is predicted to be incredibly close and either of the two massively reputable nations could walk away with the biggest honour in rugby union. South Africa are slight outsiders at 11/10 in Rugby World Cup bets to win their second consecutive edition of the competition.
Regardless of who emerges as the winner, the two have already guaranteed that their joint domination of international rugby will be prolonged. Besides New Zealand and South Africa, no other nation has won the World Cup since 2003.
England would have had the chance to mark a successful 20-year anniversary of their first honour if they progressed to the final. However, they missed out by the finest of margins, and some would argue controversial referee decisions played a huge part in securing South Africa’s semi-final triumph.
The rugby world is set to be offered a meeting between the most prestigious nations in the entire history of the tournament. But some people may feel that the prospect of a potential new champion would have made the final much more exciting.
The possibility of an underdog headline may have faded now, although the quality of competition will be absolutely remarkable, and could represent an overall peak in rugby’s all-time history.
The players who could influence proceedings
New Zealand and South Africa both have incredible depth within their ranks, but who are the standout players who could have the biggest impact on the proceedings in the final?
Will Jordan is not the most experienced player in the Kiwi squad, but he has arguably been the most impressive at the tournament. He has recorded the most tries of any player with eight prior to the final.
Jordan scored a hat trick in the semi-final against Argentina which allowed him to already write his name into history. However, if he can continue his strong form and lead his nation to victory, then he will achieve a legacy of genuine greatness in international rugby.
PSA: Will Jordan now has 30 tries in 30 test matches.#ARGvNZL #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/76fsGDvBqu
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 20, 2023
The Springboks have an immensely strong team, and the vast majority of them have the ability to have the biggest influence in the final.
Cheslin Kolbe is perhaps one of their most dangermen – he has recorded 10 points, two tries and made 21 runs in the competition so far. New Zealand will have to be extremely compact in order to nullify his threat.
There is a huge history set to be made in this year’s final in France. A new four-time record winner will be confirmed, and South Africa could even secure back-to-back World Cup successes if they can get the better of their strongest rivals.