On the edge of glory
England face South Africa in what promises to be a brutal and compelling Japan Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama tomorrow.
Two years ago, if anyone had said that South Africa's Springboks would be playing in the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup final, they would have been laughed into a corner by fans and rugby scribes.
In 2017 their Rugby Championship game against the All Blacks ended in an eight-try whitewash, with the Kiwis inflicting a 57-0 loss, which is the Boks' heaviest defeat in their history. This was the annus horribilis of former Bok coach Alistair Coetzee's tenure, which included mammoth loses to the All Blacks and defeats to Argentina, Australia, England, Ireland, Italy and Wales.
As recently as last year, Coetzee's replacement, Rassie Erasmus, admitted his job may be on the line against the All Blacks, when they clashed on 15 September 2018.
A resurgent Bok side won 36-34 in New Zealand, and although they finished a distance second to the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship, things were changing. Erasmus had also chosen Siya Kolisi as his captain - the first black player to occupy this position. Kolisi now stands on the cusp of lifting the Webb Ellis trophy tomorrow. However, they will have to contend with an England side that all but demolished the All Blacks in their semi-final last weekend, with the winning margin of 19-7 not being a fair reflection of just how dominant the English were on the day. In contrast, the Springboks scraped past Wales 19-16 in a dour affair that was in sharp contrast to the enterprise shown by England against the defending world champions New Zealand.
Overall edge
Although the Springboks have the edge over England in overall clashes, with 25 wins to England's 15, and two drawn matches, the Red Rose has had the better of things recently.
Most memorably, South Africa secured a 15-6 victory over England in the 2007 World Cup final to win the tournament for the second time.
In the last five meetings between the two sides, England coach Eddie Jones and his men have emerged victorious three times to South Africa's two.
Underhill and fellow flanker Tom Curry, dubbed the 'kamikaze kids' by Jones, have been two of the stars of England's campaign in Japan.
The 23-year-old Underhill has been superb at the breakdown, securing vital turnover ball.
Kolisi's influence as the Springboks' first black captain is significant and it would be a landmark occasion in South Africa's sporting history if the 28-year-old lifts the Webb Ellis Cup.
But he has not seemed quite the same force since a knee injury in May and former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes even suggested the Springboks would be better off starting with Francois Louw, a Bath teammate of Underhill, after the replacement back-rower made a key steal late in the narrow semi-final win over Wales.
At the age of 25, the dynamic Maro Itoje has already played in 33 England Tests and three more for the British and Irish Lions.
A self-confessed feminist, the politics student and poet, one of several Saracens players in the England squad and the son of Nigerian immigrants, is far removed from the stereotype of the grizzled second-rower.
But having been superb in the lineouts against the All Blacks, he now finds himself up against the imposing 203cm Eben Etzebeth, a South Africa second-rower seemingly straight from the old bully-boys of the rugby of old.
Coaching clash
Jones has delivered his final message ahead of the World Cup final by telling his players to have “no fear” when they go for glory against South Africa.
The Red Rose coach has named an unchanged starting XV for the showdown in Yokohama.
The eyes of the world will be on the match, but Jones has told his players to embrace the occasion that lies ahead.
Bok coach Erasmus, who will be stepping down after the final, said his team will not simply be satisfied by a World Cup final appearance. Cheslin Kolbe, the dynamic Bok wing who missed the semi-final, will be back in the team for the final, which is the only change for the Boks.
“Getting to this stage is not enough for this team,” Erasmus said.
“We now have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to become world champions; something that would mean so much to our country and our people.
“We know the excitement that there is back home and that the country may well be coming to a standstill on Saturday lunchtime in South Africa. There's a huge weight of expectation.
“We may not be favourites, but these players will leave nothing in the tank. We know how the wins in 1995 and 2007 lifted the country - even if it was momentarily.
“We want to give South Africa that experience once again,” said Erasmus, whose box-kicking tactics, employed by scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, have come under increasing fire from armchair critics. -Additional reporting by NAMPA/AFP.
For the latest news on the Japan Rugby World Cup please log into http://rwc.my.na
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
In 2017 their Rugby Championship game against the All Blacks ended in an eight-try whitewash, with the Kiwis inflicting a 57-0 loss, which is the Boks' heaviest defeat in their history. This was the annus horribilis of former Bok coach Alistair Coetzee's tenure, which included mammoth loses to the All Blacks and defeats to Argentina, Australia, England, Ireland, Italy and Wales.
As recently as last year, Coetzee's replacement, Rassie Erasmus, admitted his job may be on the line against the All Blacks, when they clashed on 15 September 2018.
A resurgent Bok side won 36-34 in New Zealand, and although they finished a distance second to the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship, things were changing. Erasmus had also chosen Siya Kolisi as his captain - the first black player to occupy this position. Kolisi now stands on the cusp of lifting the Webb Ellis trophy tomorrow. However, they will have to contend with an England side that all but demolished the All Blacks in their semi-final last weekend, with the winning margin of 19-7 not being a fair reflection of just how dominant the English were on the day. In contrast, the Springboks scraped past Wales 19-16 in a dour affair that was in sharp contrast to the enterprise shown by England against the defending world champions New Zealand.
Overall edge
Although the Springboks have the edge over England in overall clashes, with 25 wins to England's 15, and two drawn matches, the Red Rose has had the better of things recently.
Most memorably, South Africa secured a 15-6 victory over England in the 2007 World Cup final to win the tournament for the second time.
In the last five meetings between the two sides, England coach Eddie Jones and his men have emerged victorious three times to South Africa's two.
Underhill and fellow flanker Tom Curry, dubbed the 'kamikaze kids' by Jones, have been two of the stars of England's campaign in Japan.
The 23-year-old Underhill has been superb at the breakdown, securing vital turnover ball.
Kolisi's influence as the Springboks' first black captain is significant and it would be a landmark occasion in South Africa's sporting history if the 28-year-old lifts the Webb Ellis Cup.
But he has not seemed quite the same force since a knee injury in May and former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes even suggested the Springboks would be better off starting with Francois Louw, a Bath teammate of Underhill, after the replacement back-rower made a key steal late in the narrow semi-final win over Wales.
At the age of 25, the dynamic Maro Itoje has already played in 33 England Tests and three more for the British and Irish Lions.
A self-confessed feminist, the politics student and poet, one of several Saracens players in the England squad and the son of Nigerian immigrants, is far removed from the stereotype of the grizzled second-rower.
But having been superb in the lineouts against the All Blacks, he now finds himself up against the imposing 203cm Eben Etzebeth, a South Africa second-rower seemingly straight from the old bully-boys of the rugby of old.
Coaching clash
Jones has delivered his final message ahead of the World Cup final by telling his players to have “no fear” when they go for glory against South Africa.
The Red Rose coach has named an unchanged starting XV for the showdown in Yokohama.
The eyes of the world will be on the match, but Jones has told his players to embrace the occasion that lies ahead.
Bok coach Erasmus, who will be stepping down after the final, said his team will not simply be satisfied by a World Cup final appearance. Cheslin Kolbe, the dynamic Bok wing who missed the semi-final, will be back in the team for the final, which is the only change for the Boks.
“Getting to this stage is not enough for this team,” Erasmus said.
“We now have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to become world champions; something that would mean so much to our country and our people.
“We know the excitement that there is back home and that the country may well be coming to a standstill on Saturday lunchtime in South Africa. There's a huge weight of expectation.
“We may not be favourites, but these players will leave nothing in the tank. We know how the wins in 1995 and 2007 lifted the country - even if it was momentarily.
“We want to give South Africa that experience once again,” said Erasmus, whose box-kicking tactics, employed by scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, have come under increasing fire from armchair critics. -Additional reporting by NAMPA/AFP.
For the latest news on the Japan Rugby World Cup please log into http://rwc.my.na
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
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