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By Nick Said
PARIS (Reuters) - New Zealand and South Africa each take aim at a record fourth World Cup crown when they meet in this year’s final in Paris on Saturday.
We look back at five notable clashes between two of the superpowers of the game.
New Zealand had not won a series against South Africa in the first 35 years of competition between the two nations but went into the fourth and final test in Auckland in 1956 with a 2-1 lead.
Some 61,240 fans, still a New Zealand record, came to watch in expectation as the All Blacks took a 3-0 halftime lead before the giant boot of Don Clarke finished off the visitors in the second period.
New Zealand went into the 1995 World Cup final as favourites against hosts South Africa with giant winger Jonah Lomu epitomising their power, strength and skill.
But the debutant Springboks would not be denied in front of jubilant new President Nelson Mandela and put in a stoic defensive effort at Ellis Park before claiming a drama-filled extra-time win thanks to Joel Stransky’s drop-goal.
South Africa had lost their opening two games of the Tri-Nations in 2000, including a 25-12 defeat in New Zealand in which they failed to score a try.
Faced with the All Blacks again at the altitude of Ellis Park, they threw caution to the wind and decided to simply run ball at every opportunity.
They led 33-13 just past the half-hour mark in front of a disbelieving home crowd, but the All Blacks fought back and were 40-39 ahead before a final try from South African scrumhalf Werner Swanepoel.
Incredibly, there were no points scored after the 66th minute as the Springboks held on.
This absolute hammering at the hands of the All Blacks in Albany came two years before the Springboks lifted the World Cup in 2019 and was an illustration of the depths they had sunk to before the arrival of Rassie Erasmus as coach.
New Zealand ran in eight tries in their record win over South Africa and put on a masterclass against their outgunned visitors.
Ten of the Springboks who suffered this humiliation at the North Harbour Stadium are in the match-day 23 for Saturday’s final in Paris.
A World Cup warm-up game in London in August saw South Africa inflict the heaviest defeat on New Zealand in their 120-year test history.
Aided by a first-half red card for New Zealand lock Scott Barrett, South Africa had too much muscle and, with a 7-1 split between forwards and backs on the bench, turned a 14-0 halftime lead into a comprehensive victory.
New Zealand’s previous biggest defeats were by 21 points to Australia in 1999 and 2019.
