New Zealand messing up South Africa's line-out illegally. A rare Dan Carter mistake leading to a throw-in for the Boks. 

An early sighter for Handre Pollard. The outside-half hits it true. Three points the reward for the Springboks' early dominance. 

Image source, Getty Images

Damian de Allende runs straight and hard, as he will for the remaining 78 minutes you'd have thought... Springboks recycling...Oof! Jesse Kriel bursts through midfield, gains yards and yards... The underdogs on the up. A fabulous start. 

Image source, Getty Images

Jerome Garces is the man in charge of making sure everyone obeys the laws of the game. The Frenchman gives out a short, sharp shrill. Boot to ball from Handre Pollard and this semi-final is under way. 

Former England international Jeremy Guscott enjoyed that pre-match ritual from New Zealand...

Goosebump-inducing anthems. South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer eyes shut, head back...

But now it's time for the war dance. The All Blacks, frothing at the mouth, eyeballs like saucers, form an arrow - a new routine for this tournament, of course. 

And they're off: "'Tis death ’Tis death ’Tis life ’Tis life...This is the hairy man..." South Africa fans sing in the background but nothing can dim the ferocity of the All Black cry. 

Image source, Getty Images

To New Zealand's line-up. The All Blacks make one change from the quarter-final mauling of France as Joe Moody replaces injured prop Wyatt Crockett.

Crockett has not recovered from the groin injury he suffered during the 62-13 win.

Moody, 27, was only called into the squad because of a tournament-ending injury suffered by Tony Woodcock.

Winger Nehe Milner-Skudder, scorer of five tries in the tournament, has shaken off a shoulder knock and starts.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa head coach Heyneke Meyer: "We respect New Zealand but we have got to take the game to them. It will go right to the last second."

New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen on Meyer's claim his team are the best Test side ever: "He’s trying to get us into false sense of security. We know them well and they know us well. We know they want to rip our heads off."

Image source, Getty Images

Pyrotechnics light up the Twickenham sky as the players step into a crackling atmosphere. 

The stadium is jam-packed, everyone standing for the anthems, some with hands on their hearts, chests puffed out, a wonderful mixture of green and black. 

Both sets of teams are forming orderly lines in the bowels of the stadium. Everyone looking ahead, no sideways glances to the men they're going to ruffle up. 

And South African golfer Ernie Els seems pretty excited...

Who are representing South Africa today? The Boks have named an unchanged starting line-up.

The good news is that lock Lood de Jager and hooker Bismarck du Plessis have both recovered from injuries sustained in the 23-19 quarter-final win against Wales.

In the only change to the squad, 38-year-old second-row Victor Matfield is named as a replacement having recovered from a hamstring injury.

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Radio 5 Live

The players have finished their warm-up and just as the semi-finalists depart the field, the raindrops cease to fall from the clouds. We're 10 minutes from the start of the first semi-final humdinger. 

His side went out last week, so former Scotland international and now Glasgow Warriors coach Gregor Townsend is backing the boys in black. 

Some dedicated folk over in New Zealand have risen at an unwelcome hour (03:30 in the morning) to watch their team...

Victory or beer? There will be some solace for the defeated coach this evening because he will at least quench the thirst with a bottle of the amber nectar. 

Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer has revealed that he and counterpart Steve Hansen have set up a drown-your-sorrows self-help group. 

"We started a tradition way back," explained the South African this week., external  "The first time I lost to him [in Dunedin], I was very down. I didn't know Steve, but he came over and brought me a beer.

"The second game we played [in Johannesburg] was very close but we lost that game as well. I didn't want to go to the post-match function, but he came looking for me and gave me another beer.

"I've said to him: 'Steve, I can't wait for the day when I can bring you a beer'. When we beat him at Ellis Park in October 2014, I said: 'First time we beat you, I'll bring you a case of beer'.

"We've got a tradition now, so hopefully on Saturday I can take him a whole case of beer."

Image source, Getty Images

Wales centre Jamie Roberts is in London, but his World Cup ended last weekend with that quarter-final defeat by South Africa. The man beside him is not former Wales flanker Martyn Williams, of course. Definitely not. 

Hopefully the South African team have not been reading New Zealand's World Cup stats. If they have, they may decide there's no point taking to the field. 

Image source, BBC Sport

Matt Dawson
2003 World Cup winner on BBC Radio 5 live

"These are arguably the two best back-rows in the world that know each other incredibly well. In among the physicality and brutality, over the next couple of hours it will all be about who thinks about their roles the best. 

"Those six players are so influential, and we've seen in this tournament that which ever back-row dominates, that team dominates the game."