New Zealand will face South Africa in the Rugby World Cup grand final on Saturday night. The “All Blacks” and “Springboks” are – with three gold medals – the most successful teams in the history of the competition. Which team will win for the fourth time? Live coverage and results of the match New Zealand – South Africa on Polsatsport.pl.
The rivalry between the All Blacks and reigning champions the Springboks is one of the longest and fiercest in world sport. The two teams have faced each other many times, but – surprisingly – only twice in the World Cup medal race. In 1995, the South African team won at home against New Zealand after a thrilling final that ended in extra time, 15:12, winning the first gold medal in history. Four years later, the Springboks were better again, but this time “only” in the bronze medal race.
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The first medal match between these teams was a historic event not only for sporting reasons. Nelson Mandela, who had only become president of South Africa a year earlier, presented the trophy to the winners, wearing green and gold “Springboks” T-shirts and hats, which had a highly symbolic meaning. The country was just recovering from years of apartheid policies, and rugby was traditionally considered a white sport. Through his clothing, Mandela wanted to show that sport should unite all people, whatever the skin color of the players or fans.
The All Blacks, the only team to successfully defend the title of best team in the World Cup (they triumphed in 2011 and 2015), dream of returning to the throne of champions. Four years ago in Japan, New Zealand lost to England in the semifinals. They started this year’s tournament with a defeat against the hosts, France, but in the next matches they performed much better and, apart from a minimal victory against Ireland (28:24), they also suffered real defeats: 71:3 against Namibia, 96:17 against Italy, 73:0 against Uruguay and 44:6 against Argentina in the semi-finals of the event. Will the New Zealand rollers also destroy the “Springboks” team? The most motivated player at the moment is probably winger Will Jordan, who may break the record for tries in a single edition of the Rugby World Cup. The player from New Zealand recorded eight such actions in the tournament held in France, equaling the achievements of his compatriots: Jonah Lomu (1999) and Julian Savea (2015) as well as Bryan Habana from South Africa (2007).
Live coverage and results of the match New Zealand – South Africa on Polsatsport.pl. The meeting starts at 9 p.m.
RI, Polsat Sports
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