The final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup will see current holders of the trophy South Africa take on fellow three time champions New Zealand.
New Zealand and South Africa are the most successful teams at the tournament boasting three Rugby World Cup titles apiece.
Beat 102103 is previewing the biggest Rugby game of the year between South Africa's Springboks vs New Zealand's All Blacks.
Brief history of both teams
The All Blacks became the first team to retain the Webb Ellis Cup in 2015. South Africa, known as the Springboks, would match that achievement should they prevail on Saturday.
This rivalry is considered of the game's great rivalry; if not the greatest.
The two teams have met in a final before. In 1995, South Africa defeated the All Blacks 15-12 to win the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time.
Since that faithful encounter, the two sides have since met on four occasions at the Rugby World Cup.
The All Blacks have come out on top in three of these encounters while South Africa beat the New Zealanders in the bronze-medal match at the 1999 edition.
New Zealand beat the Springboks in the quarter-finals (29-9) in 2003, and in the semi-finals (20-18) in 2015 en route to winning their second consecutive title.
The All Blacks again triumphed over their Southern Hemisphere counterparts in the pool match at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
South Africa brushed off the defeat to become the first nation to lose a pool match and go on to win the title.
Only four nations – England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – have won the coveted Webb Ellis Cup since the Rugby World Cup's inception in 1987.
Match details
Kick off time: 8pm
Referee: Wayne Barnes of England
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris
How to watch: RTE, VIRGIN, check your provider for local listings
Wayne Barnes has been appointed as the referee for the #RWCFinal for the first time 👏#RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/QYLBxcFfkO
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 23, 2023
What happens if the match ends in a draw?
In the event scores are level at the end of a knockout match, extra time will occur. This will be two halves of 10 minutes with a five-minute break in between.
If there is still no winner, there will be 10 minutes of sudden death with the first points scored winning the game.
If there is still no winner after sudden death, a place-kicking competition involving five players from each team will decide the final outcome.
3rd place: Argentina v England
Referee for the 3rd place bronze match will be Nic Berry of Australia
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