How the All Blacks, Springboks can win Rugby World Cup final

PARIS — After seven weeks of incredible action on the pitch, Rugby World Cup 2023 has finally reached its crescendo.

The All Blacks and the Springboks will face each other on Saturday evening at the Stade de France in Paris. [CET]the two teams met for the first time since 1995, when the final went into overtime before South Africa ultimately emerged victorious 15-12.

Twenty-eight years later, one of those teams would make history by becoming the first nation to win four Webb Ellis crowns.

Read on as Liam Napier looks at how both teams can triumph this weekend.

ALL BLACKS

Harness emotion:

Nine senior All Blacks, including centurions Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith and highly-rated veteran hooker Dane Coles, prepare for their final bows this weekend. The wider management team, which stretches from much-maligned head coach Ian Foster to assistant Joe Schmidt, scrum coach Greek Feek, defense coach Scott McLeod and Long-time mental skills expert Gilbert Enoka is also moving on after the World Cup.

While the All Blacks maintain these impending departures won’t be a frequent occurrence in pre-match conversations, heartfelt speeches from many senior officials earlier this week cut through the widespread adversity this team has overcome to set the tone for an emotionally charged backdrop for the finale.

“There were a few tears and I think it’s great to see players showing their vulnerability and opening up about the importance of this tour and this kind of game,” said All Blacks forward Dalton Papali’i about the speeches.

“Someone said it was probably one of the most important games in All Blacks history because this All Blacks team went through a tough road to get here with the media, the friends, the family who were criticizing us and we stayed together. We weren’t even told to be in the final and now look at us, here we are.

“Different players take it differently. Some of the older players probably got hit a little harder. It was nice to see a little emotion and desire from them. Seeing that gives all the other players two, another three percent. think we’re going to the well and we’re going to give it our all.

More cards:

The All Blacks’ general discipline improved markedly throughout the World Cup, but their propensity for card collecting did not.

The last time the All Blacks faced the Springboks, in their record 35-7 defeat at Twickenham two weeks before the World Cup, they were shown three yellow cards. Scott Barrett received two to leave the All Blacks short for the entire second half.

In six World Cup matches in France, the All Blacks have made life difficult with four yellow cards and Ethan de Groot’s red which earned him a two-week suspension. Somehow the All Blacks survived their epic quarter-final against Ireland despite yellow cards from Aaron Smith and Codie Taylor.

However, further layoffs during the World Cup final could prove incredibly costly.

Save their skill:

Attacking intent distinguishes the All Blacks and the Springboks. The all-consuming tension of a World Cup final ready to tighten. Instead, the All Blacks must be bold and support their inherent attacking talent. Conservatism will play into the hands of the Boks.

There’s no point in stringing together offensive weapons like Will Jordan, Richie Mo’unga and Mark Telea on the ultimate stage.

The All Blacks were guilty of going into their shell, particularly in the second half, during their World Cup opening defeat to France. Counter-attacking opportunities, to get behind the Boks’ rushing defense, may be limited, but the All Blacks must take these opportunities to put pressure on South Africa to come out of their shell and chase the game.

Three tries scored by the All Blacks in their quarter-final victory against Ireland, one of the best defensive teams in the world. Three more in the final could be enough to clinch their fourth world title.

Start right:

Seems simple enough, right? Earlier this year, the All Blacks surprised the Springboks with a first-quarter blitz that saw them take an insurmountable 20-3 half-time lead at Mt Smart Stadium.

That night, the All Blacks pack crushed the Boks with ever-powerful ball carriers and breakdown cleaners to set a near-flawless platform. A month later, at Twickenham, the rampant Boks immediately took the upper hand – and didn’t let up. On this occasion, their pack was relentless in the melee and maul – two crucial battlefields. In a World Cup final, there’s no better way to calm the nerves than to land the first decisive blows to gain the upper hand.

SPRINGBOKS

Kick, kick, kick:

With rain expected in Paris for the final, the Springboks’ modus operandi will revolve around their pack and their boot. The Boks scored three tries directly from kicks in their one-point quarter-final escape against France. And while it was seven weeks ago now, the All Blacks struggled under the high ball in their World Cup opening defeat to France. If there is one area of ​​uncertainty with the All Blacks, it is also their long kicking game.

The return of Handre Pollard suits this Boks approach much more than Manie Libbok. Aside from tactical kicking and trying to pressure Will Joran in the air, the Boks will attempt to slow the pace and reduce the ball in play. They will compete for penalties, drive into lineouts, fake injuries. The slower the pace, the less rugby we play, the better for the Boks.

Target the fault:

Let’s use Ireland as a barometer. In their group match, Ireland dominated the Springboks at the break with striker Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris leading the charge. In their quarter-final success, the All Blacks dominated Ireland, with Sam Cane and Ardie Savea winning four turnovers between them. Shannon Frizell’s powerful charges helped lay the foundations, as did the All Blacks’ resolute defense which also allowed Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock to win the ball back at crucial times.

A South African once told me, “There are many ways to peel an apple.” By any means necessary, the Springboks must find a way to disrupt the collapsing All Blacks; to deny them the fast, clean ruck speed they so crave. Do this and the frustration will grow. Do that, and the All Blacks will be forced to give up possession to avoid camping in their own half.

Once again, the breakup is a decisive battleground.

Free the Bomb Squad:

The closer the final is, the more confident the Springboks will be. Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have fine-tuned their bomb squad for occasions like this. Last week, against England, the South African reserves sparked their late resurrection.

Even without Malcolm Marx, the Boks bench keeps its promises. Ox Nche mastered the English scrum; RG Snyman scored the only try of the semi-final, Pollard scored the winning penalty in a 10-point turnaround. In short, the Springboks will return to their bench to finish the final stronger than the All Blacks.

The All Blacks are expected to include Nepo Laulala, their best scrum player, on the bench to counter Nche’s powerful influence. Last time out at Twickenham, the Springboks stacked their reserves with seven forwards to spark an uproar in some northern sections. For the final, a 6-2 split would not be a surprise.

Although the All Blacks are well aware of what is coming, countering it is another prospect.

“It would be nice to take some gas out of that bomb, wouldn’t it,” All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan said. “They have their DNA as a forward group and that changes their momentum. They play to their strengths. It worked for them. We have confidence in our plan this week. We think we can be there until the end.”