New Zealand vs South Africa Prediction: Survival of the fittest

On Saturday, both the All Blacks and the Springboks will compete at the Stade de France in Paris in an attempt to win a record fourth Rugby World Cup title. The competition began with twenty teams, but now only two are left to compete for the Webb Ellis Cup. The winner of this match will not only claim the championship for their country but also take the undisputed lead as the only nation in the world to have won the prestigious trophy on four separate occasions. We take a look at a highly improbable title shot for New Zealand under Ian Foster, as well as a hugely dangerous bench option for South Africa that may either win or lose the final. 

It was anticipated that New Zealand would have a difficult time in this competition due to their lackluster warm-up campaign, which included a humiliating loss to this opponent at Twickenham by a score of 35-7. Some people even considered it unlikely that New Zealand would make it to the later stages of the competition. The All Blacks were met with even more skepticism after their opening game loss to the tournament's hosts by a score of 27-12; nevertheless, they responded in classic champion fashion by gaining victories against Italy, Namibia, and Uruguay to advance from the group stage in second place behind France. However, it was in the quarterfinal that Ian Foster's side demonstrated why they should never be written out in this competition. They defeated the highly acclaimed Irish side 28-24 with a nearly perfect performance in a match that will go down in history as one of the best ever played. After that, the All Blacks kept up their good run by cruising to a 44-6 victory over Argentina on the previous Friday. To be truthful, it appeared as though they never even got out of second gear as they cruised their way into the championship match. A successful performance by Sam Cane and company this weekend could potentially redeem much of the mediocrity and provide a fitting send-off for their coach. Indeed, Foster's reign has been a challenging one for the New Zealand rugby team, marked by record lows and a perceived loss of the feared All Blacks strength. 

The All Blacks were the only team in history to ever successfully defend their World Cup title; South Africa's goal is to become the second team in history to do so after the All Blacks. The Springboks started the competition as the fourth favorite team, after France, Ireland, and New Zealand. There were questions about whether or not they would advance out of the group of death, which also included Scotland.  However, the Springboks got off to a strong start in their campaign with an impressive 18-3 victory over the Scots. This was followed by a dominant performance against Romania, and even though they suffered a setback with a 13-8 loss to Ireland, they still managed to secure second place with a victory against Tonga in their last group stage match. The quarterfinal battle against France turned out to be one of the most enthralling matchups in the history of Rugby Union, and thanks to an extraordinary late effort and a clutch penalty from Handre Pollard, South Africa was able to clinch victory in the last stages of the match. The reigning champions were physically exhausted for huge stretches of the semi-final match against England a week ago. However, through pure will and effort, they remained in the competition until Pollard stepped up once more to secure a second one-point victory in succession. There is no question that New Zealand is the more rested team, as they have had a more straightforward game to play before this one and have had an extra day to recover. However, South Africa is known for excelling in pressure situations and possesses an unparalleled ability to harness the passion and support of their nation, playing for a cause that extends beyond the game itself, and instilling hope, as shown in their previous victories in the Webb Ellis Cup.

New Zealand starting lineup: 15. Beauden Barrett, 14. Will Jordan, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 11. Mark Tele'a, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Ardie Savea, 7. Sam Cane (c), 6. Shannon Frizell, 5. Scott Barrett, 4. Brodie Retallick, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 2. Codie Taylor, 1. Ethan de Groot

South Africa starting lineup: 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Faf de Klerk, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6. Siya Kolisi (c), 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 1. Steven Kitshoff

There is very little to pick between these two rugby powerhouses, who will leave absolutely everything on the field in an attempt to take the title for a record fourth time. After having already competed against France, England, Ireland, and Scotland in this competition, the most important question is whether or not South Africa still has sufficient resources in reserve. The Springboks have developed something of a habit of digging deep when their backs are against the wall, and if the Springboks, who are the defending champions, can pick themselves up one more time, we feel that they will be able to pull off the win here.