E-mail Article Print-Friendly Version Contact Us Subscribe to RSS Feed

Preview: World Cup Final

Captain Fantastic: Kirk, Farr-Jones, Pienaar, Eales, Johnson ... Vickery or Smit?

After 43 days, 47 games, 296 tries and more agony and ecstasy then Hollywood can produce in a year, we are down to this: one game, two teams.

Rugby fans of all persuasions will look on in wonder as England and South Africa do battle for the world crown at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday.

Yet, in truth, that wonder is spectacularly one-sided. If you have just emerged from five weeks down a hole, you have our commiserations. We're still pinching ourselves and we've been here for the duration: yes, England have made it to Final!

That the Boks have reached the last stage is no surprise: they have marched across France with the assurance of a sleepwalker.

Meanwhile, the men in white have veered wildly from the ridiculous to the sublime, producing heart-stopping moments that have surely sent supplies of octogenarian England fans into a steep dive.

Never have two teams taken such different journeys only to arrive at the same spot.

South Africa have notched up 263 points thus far, including 33 tries, with a successful scoring opportunity coming every 24 minutes. The English have scored just 134 points and a measly 12 tries, with 53 yawn-inducing minutes passing between each mouthful of ration.

But of all the stats, one looms over this game in the manner of the majestic Stade de France itself: South Africa's imperious 36-0 pool victory over the defending champions at the very same venue six short weeks ago.

Shipping 36 points is bad enough, but nil? Who gets nilled? Portugal didn't get nilled! Nor the USA, nor Canada, nor Japan, nor Georgia!

It is no surprise, then, that there is an air of inevitability surrounding Saturday's showdown.

Confidence is sky high in the green and gold camp - Bok manager Xola Yeye even went as far as to say: "What we did to England, 36-0, we will inflict the same punishment on them again."

Watering holes from Durban to Port Nolloth are fully stocked up and ready to party like it was 1995, and bookmakers across the globe have moved to protect themselves from bankruptcy: fancy making a quick cent on 4/9 for a South Africa win?

But will this crazy, beautiful, glorious, wild, impetuous scallywag of a World Cup really end with a damp squib? Surely not.

England have come too far, worked too hard, shown too much character and expended too much heart to simply roll over and have their tummies tickled once again.

In fact, the side that will wear white on Saturday is now so far removed from the rabble that suffered that dark nilling that one wonders if they subconsciously threw that pool encounter.

Sure, they are still nowhere near the exalted plain that they inhabited during the last edition of this tournament, and their present style of rugby won't win them the love of rugby's romantics, but just marvel at that gritty win over Australia. Ponder how they pulled it off against the hosts - conquerors of the All Blacks - in their own backyard. When was the last time you saw a group of sportsman play with such sheer bloody-mindedness and unflinching unity of purpose?

The difference between knock-out and league-based rugby has come to the fore in this tournament, and the English come equipped with the tools to cope with the pressure that do-or-die competition presents.

Just cast your eye over the XV that Brian Ashton has chosen to do battle in the Final: one third have Heineken Cup medals in their pockets whilst the other two thirds have looked the abyss of relegation straight in the face. The absence of players from the mid-table amblers - Saracens, Gloucester, Bath - is no coincidence.

That's not to say the Boks are oblivious to the needs of high-stakes rugby. Nine of their XV were involved in this year's Super 14 Final, five felt the pain of defeat to New Zealand in the quarter-finals of 2003, and in Os du Randt they have a World Cup winner.

But one still suspects that even the wily old ox will fail to make the connection with the Englishmen he met in September and the Englishmen he will meet on Saturday.

That said, the Boks are still overwhelming favourites. What they have over England is a clear picture of where they expect to be on Sunday, and that's out on the Parisian tiles with champagne dollies in tow.

South Africa coach Jake White, once a school teacher always a school teacher, came into contact with the current class of Boks in 2004 and, through thick and thin, has nurtured and protected them ever since - and thick and thin is putting it mildly.

Not a day seems to pass in the rugby-mad Republic in which his methods are not questioned, ridiculed or dismissed, whether it be his continued selection of a trusted pupil or his non-selection of a gifted outsider.

Some of that criticism passes muster. One wonders whether the world would have been treated to Francois Steyn had Jean de Villiers not succumbed to injury. And let's not forget that Ruan Pienaar, for some a yet brighter talent than the stupendous Steyn, continues to kick his heels on the touchline.

But White's greatest strength has always been his iron resolve to see his class - warts and all - through to graduation. His whole raison d'être has always been Saturday's game - he even went as far as to throw a possible tilt at this year's Tri-Nations title in order to concentrate minds and bodies on this French affair.

In the manner of the last coach to come into possession of the Webb Ellis Cup, White has left no stone unturned in his quest for ultimate glory. The man who trots out, ad nauseam, the old maxim about 'failing to prepare...' has endured countless wayfaring tours of countless dressing rooms to ensure that countless pegs are in positions to his liking.

Given the meticulous nature of the man behind the curtain, we know just what we will get from a side that will trot out for its final fling armed with a massive 668 caps.

We will see immaculate set-piece play (the Boks have stolen no less than 29 per cent of their opponents' line-out ball in this tournament), more bombs than a belly of a B-52 can hold, and the menacing presence of the likes of Bryan Habana and Fourie du Preez, fork and knife at the ready, eager to feast on the most innocuous of English mistakes.

And all that lies in the way of what White and his troops perceive as their destiny is an acclimatised and battle-hardened group of English underdogs, luxuriating in their new-found love of tearing carpets out from under the feet of fancied foe.

Despite the very recent reversal of fortunes, we also know what we can expect from Ashton's largely improvised ensemble: solid set-piece work (England have lost just one scrum in this tournament and have stolen nine), tenacious defence, the will which says 'hold on', and the impromptu hoof of Jonny Wilkinson swinging at drop-goals whenever the opportunity presents itself.

So, no - the grand finale of this heady festival of rugby won't be pretty per se. But forget Paris and all talk of romance, beauty and elegance. Winning your heart's true desire takes more than a fancy dance or a clever poem - it takes self-belief and grim determination.

The Boks have got the readies, of that there is no question, but England have set the benchmark as far as guts are concerned.

It's a worn-out cliché, but it has never rung more true than it does this weekend: the biggest prize in rugby will acquiesce only to the side that wants it the most.

Rugby World Cup 2007 kicked off with a blinder, expect to be knocked out of your socks by the climax.

Players to watch:

For South Africa: Despite all the talk of Jonny Wilkinson's left boot, it is Percy Montgomery who possesses the tournament's most dependable peg - he has already pocketed 93 points, missing just one of his 14 penalty shots at goal. This will be the full-back's 94th and perhaps final appearance for South Africa, and a World Cup would bookend his vast array of records and gongs very nicely indeed. Bok fans have fallen in and out of love with old Monty over the years, but his place amongst the green and gold immortals could soon be assured. Also, keep your eye on the blur that is Bryan Habana. England managed to keep him in check last time out, but the speedster will be craving that try that will break Jonah Lomu's World Cup record of eight in one tournament.

For England: Here's to you, Jason Robinson. He has said it before, but this time he actually means it: this will be the last game of the great man's illustrious career. Quite why he feels he is ready for his pipe and slippers is a bit of mystery - the 33-year-old flyer, who began his career in Rugby League a full 16 years ago, is still England's best player by a country mile. Still, a second World Cup winners' medal would make for a fitting final chapter to the epic story of Billy Whizz, and Bok fans will be chastened to note that he has a knack of writing his own scripts - he signed off his club career by scoring a last-gasp match-winning try that edged Sale Sharks out of the relegation zone.

Head-to-head: David Kirk, Nick Farr-Jones, Francois Pienaar, John Eales, Martin Johnson ... John Smit or Phil Vickery? Both captains have been rightly lauded for the way in which they have led their troops to this juncture, and their respective coaches also deserve copious praise for two very shrewd appointments. Smit's steady hand has long kept the often overwrought Boks on the straight and narrow, whilst Vickery's fiery do-as-I-do leadership has worked wonders for his side's battered confidence. It almost seems a shame that they can't both join that ultra exclusive league of gentlemen. C'est la vie, as they say in these parts!

Recent results:

2007: South Africa won 36-0 at Stade de France, Paris
2007: South Africa won 55-22 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
2007: South Africa won 58-10 at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
2006: South Africa won 25-14 at Twickenham, London
2006: England won 23-21 at Twickenham, London
2004: England won 32-16 at Twickenham, London
2003: England won 25-6 at Subiaco Oval, Perth (RWC)
2002: England won 53-3 at Twickenham, London
2001: England won 29-9 at Twickenham, London
2000: England won 25-17 at Twickenham, London
2000: England won 27-22 at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
2000: South Africa won 18-13 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
1999: South Africa won 44-21 at Stade de France, Paris (RWC)
1998: England won 13-7 at Twickenham, London

Prediction: With both sides proving themselves extremely adept at rope-a-dope rugby, it is quite difficult to see where the points will come from - other than directly from the mistakes of the opposition, that is. The Boks have actually proved to be more error-prone than England at this tournament - 10.2 mistakes per match compared to 7.3 - so there is definitely hope for the English. But how do you rein in South Africa's instinctive counter-attacking? England's brave defence is surely at an end - South Africa to claim the crown on the back of a six-point victory.

The teams:

South Africa: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Danie Rossouw, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Os du Randt.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Johannes Muller, 19 Wikus van Heerden, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 André Pretorius, 22 Wynand Olivier.

England: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Mark Cueto , 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Andy Gomarsall, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Lewis Moody, 6 Martin Corry, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Mark Regan, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Lawrence Dallaglio, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Peter Richards, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Dan Hipkiss.

Date: Saturday, October 20
Kick Off: 21:00 (19:00 GMT, 20:00 BST)
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Conditions: Clear, dry, moderate north-easterly winds - max 12°C, min 2°C
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Touch judges: Joël Jutge (France), Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Television match official: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie (France)

By Andy Jackson in Paris