New Zealand (Commonwealth) _ The Rugby World Cup 2023 final and bronze final have been confirmed, with New Zealand competing for the William Webb Ellis Cup against South Africa, and Argentina and England competing for third place.
Both matches will be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, with losing semi-finalists Los Pumas and England clashing on Friday evening before the All Blacks and Springboks decide the tournament’s winner.
For the seventh time in the tournament’s history, the All Blacks were the first team to reach the final. New Zealand first qualified for the World Cup in 1987, becoming the first side to do so. They had to wait until 1995 to make another final, but they were defeated by the Springboks in South Africa. The All Blacks reached back-to-back finals in 2011 and 2015, becoming the tournament’s first side to win three times and the first to defend their crown.
They qualified for the knockouts in second place this time after losing their first pool game to hosts France. They recovered to defeat Ireland in the quarter-finals before meeting Argentina in the semi-finals.
Argentina reached the tournament’s semi-finals for the third time, having previously done so in 2007 and 2015. . The All Blacks had a great performance in the final, defeating Los Pumas 44-6 to advance to the tournament’s conclusion.
South Africa finished second in their pool and defeated hosts France in the quarter-finals. In a thrilling semi-final against England, South Africa took the lead in the 77th minute on a Handre Pollard penalty, winning 16-15 and advancing to back-to-back finals.
The final will be broadcast live in New Zealand on Sunday, October 29, at 8 a.m., with the third-fourth place play-off taking place 24 hours earlier. When the final whistle blew at Stade de France on Saturday night, the Springboks and their supporters were overcome with euphoria and relief. They were on their way to yet another World Cup final.
New Zealand and South Africa have one of the most heated rivalries in rugby, if not the entire world. It’s a competition driven by respect, patriotism, and emotion, and another chapter will be written in less than a week.
It doesn’t get much bigger than the Springboks facing the All Blacks in a Rugby World Cup final. The two great rivals haven’t played in rugby’s biggest Test since 1995, when Francois Pienaar lifted the Boks’ first World Cup. This year’s Rugby Champions undoubtedly belonged to the All Blacks. During an almost flawless campaign, New Zealand easily overcame Argentina, South Africa, and Australia.
The Springboks’ vengeance, however, came just before the sport’s showcase event, and it got the rugby world talking. South Africa defeated New Zealand 35-7 at Twickenham two months ago, setting a new record.
However, the past is the past. Coach Davids believes “none of those previous encounters” significance ahead of a deciding game. The week ahead of us promises to be great and thrilling. Our confrontations with the All Blacks, we have a lot of history, Davids continued.
We’ve played them a few of times this year, but in a World Cup final, none of those past meetings matter. Playing for the World Cup is a completely new game in entirely new circumstances. This week, we must stay on top of our strategy and execution.
New Zealand has consistently played superb rugby throughout the competition. They are also in a good position, so it will be a hard-fought game on Saturday, and we must ensure that we tick a lot of boxes in our preparation.
