five things to know about the All Blacks-Springboks final

2023-10-28 08:28:14

French supporters will eternally regret that the Blues are not part of the party. But the poster for the 2023 World Cup final, played on Saturday October 28 at the Stade de France (9 p.m., TF1), nonetheless remains one of the most beautiful possible.

It will bring together the two selections from the Southern Hemisphere which historically dominate rugby: the All Blacks of New Zealand and the Springboks of South Africa. A century-old rivalry.

► 0 points for an inaugural tie

New Zealanders and South Africans crossed paths for the first time on a rugby field in 1921, during a Springbok tour of the All Blacks’ grounds. This inaugural series of three matches ended with a balanced result.

The representatives of the host country won the opening match, their visitors took their revenge in the second match and the final shock ended with a draw, without any points scored (0-0) .

► 62 New Zealand successes

Rugby players from New Zealand and South Africa have faced each other 105 times since 1921.

The New Zealanders have won 62 times, the South Africans 39 times, with four matches ending in a draw.

The last clash between the two teams, in August 2023, resulted in a large South African victory (35-7).

► 3 world titles each

New Zealand and South Africa dominate the World Cup record with three titles each, ahead of Australia (two titles) and England (one title).

A 4th title in the viewfinder ????
—
A 4️⃣th title in sight ????#RWC2023 | #NZLvRSA | #RWCFinalpic.twitter.com/0LdYOgmm0R

— Rugby World Cup France 2023 (@France2023) October 26, 2023

The New Zealanders were crowned in 1987, 2011 and 2015; the South Africans in 1995, 2007 and 2019. The latter have never lost in the final.

► 5 World Cup confrontations

New Zealand and South Africa have met five times in the World Cup. Their first confrontation dates back to 1995, the year the South Africans made their debut in this competition after being excluded from previous editions because of apartheid.

South Africa then won in the final (15-12). She also won the match for 3rd place in 1999 (22-18).

New Zealand then took the upper hand in 2003 for 3rd place (29-9), in 2015 in the semi-final (20-18) and in the group match in 2019 (23-13).

► 57 points, record gap

New Zealand inflicted the biggest defeat in its history on South Africa in 2017, winning 57-0 and scoring 8 tries.

Several of the players in Saturday’s final were on the pitch that day, including the current captains of the two selections, New Zealander Sam Cane and South African Siya Kolisi.