Rams versus creativity in the Rugby World Cup final between arch-rivals

It was their biggest defeat ever. The All Blacks themselves could hardly believe it when they looked at the numbers on the scoreboard of the 80,000-filled Twickenham stadium in London: 35-7. It was a wash for the New Zealand rugby players, this last practice match before the World Cup at the end of August. Even against their great rival South Africa. Afterwards the media talked about the lack of discipline, which was illustrated by the red card (two yellow) for Scott Barrett just before half-time. As a result, New Zealand played with one man less in the second half.

Small difference

Nine weeks later everything has changed. New Zealand is in the final for the fifth time since the first edition of the World Cup in 1987. Opponent on Saturday evening in the Stade de France, north of Paris: South Africa. It promises to be an exciting final. The difference in the world rankings between two World Cup finalists has not been that small since the ranking was introduced in 2003: just over a point in favor of the Springboks (in rugby, every national team has a nickname). The fact that both South Africa and New Zealand are three-time world champions gives the match extra weight. Which team will win the record number of titles?

“They are two completely different teams,” says Dutch national coach Sylke Haverkorn, who prefers the playing style of the South Africans.

Also read
this report from France

Training rugby players at a local club in Castelnau-Magnoac in the Hautes-Pyrenees department, in south-west France.” class=”dmt-article-suggestion__image” src=”https://images.nrc.nl/F0IzAZmmtcqoTZsojGBYipYiIac=/160×96/smart/filters:no_upscale()/s3/static.nrc.nl/bvhw/files/2023/09/data105734733-a1abb4.jpg”/>

“They’re going to fight, they’re going to ram. As a player myself, I was also a specialist in the scrum and the line-out.” With this so-called set pieces, set pieces, lies South Africa’s strength. Haverkorn: “New Zealand has to play very disciplined. They shouldn’t concede too many penalties. One mistake can make you lose a match.”

That happened to England in the semi-final. With a 15-13 lead, the English committed a foul during a scrum just before the end, which resulted in South Africa receiving a penalty. Handré Pollard shot the ball between the posts from about fifty meters for three points. “Today’s good kickers go for the posts in the opponent’s half nine times out of ten,” says Haverkorn. “And otherwise a penalty means that you just give up fifty, sixty, sometimes eighty meters and you have to defend on your own try line. While in professional rugby there is a battle for every meter.”

While South Africa wants to make it a battle on Saturday, New Zealand plays more varied rugby, according to Haverkorn. “They are the creative team. They play with speed from sideline to sideline, really making use of the width of the field.” The weather therefore plays an important role during the final; In the French autumn, the All Blacks fear a rainy evening the most, thinks Haverkorn. “In dry weather, New Zealand can play its fast game. On a wet field, with a slippery ball, South Africa can get into the game well.”

Nelson Mandela

Saturday’s match is special anyway. The two countries have shared the world titles since 2007, but they will face each other in the final for only the second time in the history of the World Cup. In 1995, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15-12 in front of their home crowd. This achievement is best remembered for the awards ceremony, where black President Nelson Mandela, wearing a rugby shirt from the predominantly white national team, presented the World Cup to captain François Pienaar – a symbolic moment after decades of apartheid.

South Africa is now looking for a second world title in a row, a feat that New Zealand achieved in 2011 and 2015. Those team performances made the All Blacks an example for many sports coaches and teams. But New Zealand has faded somewhat in recent years – they took bronze at the World Cup four years ago – and the current team does not yet have the mythical status of the golden generation before them. “In New Zealand they had a group that could find each other blindly,” says Haverkorn. “But when some legends stopped working, they had to start building again. These new, often young players had to learn to deal with the pressure.”

In that respect, South Africa seems to have the advantage, the most experienced national team ever will kick off on Saturday. Still, the difference will most likely be made by the substitutes, says Haverkorn. “In rugby you need everyone, substitutions are always in the team’s interest. There is no room for egos in this sport.”

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