Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe’s move from Toulouse to Top 14 rivals Toulon has made him the fourth highest-paid rugby player in the world. POUJOULAT / AFP
Rugby World Cup final: England vs South Africa – time, prediction, live score, and result
The 2019 Rugby World Cup final is upon us. Here’s what you need to know about the clash between South Africa and England on Saturday.
Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe’s move from Toulouse to Top 14 rivals Toulon has made him the fourth highest-paid rugby player in the world. POUJOULAT / AFP
And so, it has come to this. After what feels like no time at all, the 2019 Rugby World Cup final has arrived. England and South Africa will square off in a repeat of the 2007 edition.
Both teams head into the contest with unique context to their journeys.
England face the daunting task of trying to match or even improve upon their stunning win over New Zealand when they face South Africa in the World Cup final.
Eddie Jones’s men will head into Saturday’s showpiece in Yokohama as favourites after a superb 19-7 semi-final win ended the All Blacks’ bid for a third successive world title.
But South Africa are probably one of the few sides capable of repelling England in their current form, even if there was nothing pretty about the Springboks’ grinding 16-13 semi-final win over Wales.
For all their immense strength, which includes a ‘bomb squad’ of six forwards on the bench, South Africa do not lack finesse. The return of wing Cheslin Kolbe from injury, the only change to the side that beat the Welsh, adds variety to their game.
But the pack, backed up by the kicking of half-backs Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard, will look to create pressure that leads to penalty opportunities for goal-kicker Pollard, as happened against Wales.
No team has won a World Cup after losing a pool match, as the Springboks did in their tournament opener against New Zealand.
Kolbe has made his mark as a free-roaming winger with lightning footwork and a sprinter’s acceleration.
He returns to the Springbok team for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final against England after missing the 19-16 semi-final win over Wales with an ankle injury.
George Ford will start the Rugby World Cup final against South Africa after coach Eddie Jones named an unchanged XV on Thursday.
Owen Farrell started at fly-half in the quarter-final win over Australia but moved to inside centre for the stunning 19-7 semi-final victory over reigning champions New Zealand, when Ford resumed the number 10 shirt.
That was the lone change to England’s match-day 23 to face the Springboks in Yokohama on Saturday is on the bench where scrum-half Ben Spencer, who only arrived in Japan on Monday, replaces the injured Willi Heinz.
Teams
England (15-1)
Elliot Daly; Anthony Watson, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Jonny May; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Billy Vunipola, Sam Underhill, Tom Curry; Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Marler, Dan Cole, George Kruis, Mark Wilson, Ben Spencer, Henry Slade, Jonathan Joseph
South Africa (15-1)
Willie Le Roux; Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi; Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt); Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn
England vs South Africa: Rugby World Cup kick-off time and prediction
Kick off time: That’s at 11:00 SAST on 2 November 2019. Both SuperSport and the SABC will broadcast it live.
For the RWC, we’ll be using a prediction algorithm from a New Zealand anorak.
Prediction: England are favoured by the algorithm. By just three points.
RWC 2019 live scores and result: England vs South Africa
Additional reporting by AFP/World Rugby.
