Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said on Sunday that it would be a mistake to look back at their last result against the All Blacks at Twickenham in August going into Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France in Paris, saying he expected a battle of epic proportions.
"Saturday will be a completely different game. Both teams will have learned a lot of lessons. New Zealand is playing excellent rugby. We will see where we can outsmart each other. This will be a new game under new circumstances, playing for the top prize in world rugby. If you look back too far and not be in the moment, we will fool ourselves. Our focus will be on what we have to do and to keep in mind we are facing a formidable opponent."
Davids looked forward to the prospect of facing their arch-rivals in the grand finale of the Rugby World Cup and said: “It’s an exciting and fantastic week ahead. There’s a lot of history between the teams, and we’ve played against them a few times. But this is a new game under new circumstances, and we have to derive a good plan and be accurate in our execution. It will be a hard-fought battle.”
Davids added: “It’s always special when we face one another, so it will come down to who does what they have to the best on the day or a brilliant individual moment or two.”
Asked about the contrasting styles of rugby the teams play, Davids said it would make the final intriguing.
"There is strength in both teams in terms of how they play the game, but also there might be similarities in terms of how we look at the game.
"Both squads are similar in terms of experience, X-factor and where and how they want to play. It is going to be a tight battle to outsmart each other and to ensure you get the upper hand.
"It is going to be about possession, playing in the right areas, using your opportunities. It is going to be a massive battle. Those are the things that I think assisted the teams to get into the final. The team that executes the best, pitches up mentally the best to adapt to the conditions, will be the winners of this tournament."
With a physically draining quarter-final and semi-final behind them, both of which were won by one point, Davids said the team had to be sharp in their approach this week.
“We need to be smart to get the balance right physically and mentally this week so that the players are fresh and ready to go on Saturday, and to be the best they can be for 80 minutes,” said Davids.
“Today we’ll have a rest day and then we’ll start building up and making plans for the week. It’s important to stay in the moment, to be as detailed as possible, and not to get ahead of ourselves. We won’t change anything in our approach and won’t change much this week.”
"It is one of the things that we need to be smart on. We will find a balance to ensure our players are fresh and ready to go for Saturday. Us coaches and the conditioning coach will have a good discussion so that tactically and strategically we pitch up to be the best that we can be, to execute for 80 minutes."
