2023 Rugby World Cup Predictions

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New Zealand vs South Africa Predictions - Springboks set for victory over rivals in Rugby World Cup final

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 25 Oct 2023

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Ralph Staniforth 25 Oct 2023

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Watch New Zealand vs South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Final on Saturday (21:00 SAST)
In two meetings this year each side has one win against the other
Who of the All Blacks and Springboks will be the 1st to 4 World Cup titles?

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South Africa vs new zealand rugby twickenham

Springboks can defend Rugby World Cup title (Getty Images)

New Zealand vs South Africa Preview

This is set to be a cracking final with very little separating the two sides. The All Blacks have a slight advantage with the bookies but that will mean very little on Saturday.

New Zealand vs South Africa Preview
Head to Head
New Zealand Form
New Zealand Injuries & Team News
South Africa Form
South Africa Injuries & Team News

The Springboks come into this encounter off the back of two one-point victories, but it is unlikely that tiredness will play a role in the final. While it was simply a warmup game, just before the World Cup, South Africa smashed New Zealand 35-7. That cannot be ignored.

This game could go either way as both seek their fourth World Cup title. They play very different styles of rugby but know each other exceptionally well. While tough, I’m hanging my hat on South Africa to win and perhaps cover the two-point handicap.

New Zealand have won 6 of their last 7 matches.
New Zealand have won 2 of their last 3 matches against South Africa.
South Africa have won 9 of their last 10 matches.
South Africa beat New Zealand by 28 points in their last encounter.

Head to Head

Since 2018 New Zealand and South Africa have met 10 times with New Zealand winning five, South Africa four and one draw. They have met twice this year, in the Rugby Championship New Zealand beat the Springboks 35-20 in Auckland.

However, in a friendly just prior to the World Cup, South Africa gained their revenge, winning 35-7 at Twickenham. The All Blacks did however play 60 odd minutes with a man down after a red card.

New Zealand Form

New Zealand have been in a strange space over the last few years. While they were favourites alongside France coming into the World Cup, many thought they’d struggled after plenty of inconsistency over the last four years.

After suffering a 27-12 loss to the hosts in the opening game of the tournament, the All Blacks were written off by many. They were expected to still get out of the group, and they did, beating Italy, Namibia and Uruguay along the way.

It was in the quarter-final where the All Blacks truly showed their class, beating the far more fancied Irish side 28-24. It was a near-perfect performance from the men in black.

The semi-final may have posed a challenge ahead of kick-off, but New Zealand dismantled Argentina with ease to win comfortably. They now face their biggest rivals in the final, a game which is correctly being dubbed the clash of the two most successive sides in World Cup rugby.

New Zealand Injuries & Team News

Ian Foster is unlikely to veer far away from his side that started against Argentina in the semi-final. Teams will be announced on Thursday.

South Africa Form

South Africa are looking to become only the second team to defend the World Cup title while the only side to have done in previously was the All Blacks. The Springboks were a team everyone knew to watch out for coming into the tournament, but there were far more obvious favourites.

The Boks got their campaign underway by beating Scotland 18-3. They then thrashed Romania before losing 13-8 to Ireland. A final win over Tonga secured second place.

The quarter-final against France proved to be one of the best games of Rugby Union ever played. It was as tense as it could possibly be, and South Africa stole it at the death with a superb Handre Pollard penalty.

The South Africans looked like an emotionally warn side in the semi-final as they almost fell to England, but Pollard stepped up to secure a second one-point win.

In many aspects, this is the final very few expected, but probably one the game needs. After the hosts were knocked out, the greatest rivalry in the sport is sure to capture the attention of the world.

South Africa Injuries & Team News

Jacques Nienaber is expected to make some changes, but the South African side is notoriously difficult to predict. It is expected that Handre Pollard will start ahead of Manie Libbok while Faf de Klerk could come in for Cobus Reinach.

Verdict

New Zealand v South Africa

I am backing South Africa to get within two points and perhaps win the Rugby World Cup final.

South Africa +2

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South Africa Win

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