Rugby World Cup 2023 final: New Zealand & South Africa's rivalry and history

New Zealand and South Africa's most recent meeting was in August at Twickenham, with the Springboks winning 35-7

Both New Zealand and South Africa are bidding to become the first nation to win the Rugby World Cup for a fourth time when they meet in the final on Saturday.

The game in Paris will be the second final between the sides - South Africa won on home soil in Johannesburg in 1995, with a Joel Stransky drop-goal in extra time securing an iconic win that helped unite the nation.

The two countries have a long and storied rugby history and rivalry, to which another chapter is about to be written.

"We're frontier-type societies; one is a tiny bunch of islands on the other side of the world, one is a little spot on the end of Africa," former South Africa international Bobby Skinstad told the Rugby Union Daily podcast.

"One of the colonial influences was this game they gave to us that we've embraced and been able to beat the colonial powers at their own game."

The 1995 final

Nelson Mandela hands Francois Pienaar the Webb Ellis Cup in 1995

South Africa's first involvement in a Rugby World Cup was as hosts in 1995, following a sporting ban which prevented them from participating in the first two editions.

New Zealand cruised into the final thanks to four tries by Jonah Lomu in their semi-final victory over England and, with Lomu in seemingly unstoppable form, were favourites.

No tries were scored in the final, with Stransky and Andrew Mehrtens exchanging three penalties and a drop-goal each before the full-time whistle sounded.

The game went to extra time and a Stransky drop-goal won the Webb Ellis Cup.

Mehrtens was one of several New Zealand players to be struck down by illness in the build-up to the final, but said the squad was fully fit by the time the match started and he refuses to blame a disrupted preparation for their defeat.

"The determining factor for us not winning that final was South Africa tackled us where other teams hadn't," he said.

"They delighted in getting up on Jonah. There was the famous tackle from Joost van der Westhuizen when Jonah had broken through off a line-out.

"They knocked us over where other teams hadn't. We couldn't play the game that had been so successful for us throughout the tournament."

Nelson Mandela, the former political prisoner turned unifying president of a nation, handed over the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar while wearing a South Africa rugby shirt bearing the Springbok badge - a symbol previously reviled by non-whites in the country because it was so strongly associated with the apartheid era.

"It was only afterwards that you started seeing [how big it was for South Africa]," Mehrtens added. "We'd met Mandela before the match, which was a huge moment.

"I remember having conflicting thoughts in my head; I thought this was something I'd remember for the rest of my life, having met an iconic, historical figure who is so revered around the world, but at the same time in two minutes' time I've got to do a kick-off that I've got to make sure goes 10 metres."

Twickenham match

More recently, the All Blacks were on the wrong end of the heaviest defeat in their history at the hands of South Africa, losing 35-7 at Twickenham in their final warm-up game before the World Cup.

The All Blacks' previous record loss was by 21 points, while their defeat in August also ended an 11-match unbeaten run.

In 105 previous meetings, New Zealand have won 62, the Springboks 39 and there have been four draws.

In head-to-head matches at Rugby World Cups, the All Blacks have the edge with three wins to South Africa's two.

World Cup final wins

Following their 1995 triumph, South Africa had to wait 12 years for a second World Cup win when they beat England 15-6 in Paris.

There was another 12-year gap before Siya Kolisi lifted the trophy after a dominant 32-12 win over England in Japan.

New Zealand co-hosted and won the first World Cup in 1987, beating France 29-9 in the final.

But they would have a 24-year wait for a second triumph, again as tournament hosts, with an 8-7 victory over France in 2011 at Eden Park.

Four years later, they repeated the trick with a convincing 34-17 win over Australia at Twickenham.

In doing so, New Zealand became the first nation to win successive Rugby World Cups - something South Africa are hoping to emulate on Saturday.

"I know the rivalry runs deep, these two countries that love and hate each other so much around this beautiful game," said Skinstad.

"Our country looks at New Zealand and it irritates us that they've been able to go back-to-back in World Cups."

Routes to the 2023 final

South Africa have faced every other team in the top six of the current world rankings on route to this year's final.

The Springboks beat Scotland in their opener but finished second in Pool B after losing narrowly to Ireland, before one-point victories over France and England in the knockout stage.

The All Blacks lost the opening game of the competition to France but scored 96 points in dismantling Italy before winning knockout games over number one ranked side Ireland and Argentina to reach the final.

Potential records

• New Zealand second row Sam Whitelock could become the first player to win three World Cups, after being victorious in 2011 and 2015.

• All Blacks winger Will Jordan is one score away from becoming the record try-scorer at a single World Cup. He currently has eight, matching the tallies of Jonah Lomu (1999), Bryan Habana (2007) and Julian Savea (2015).

• Brothers Jordie, Beauden and Scott Barrett could all start their first final together for New Zealand, with Beauden the only brother to play in a final, in 2015.

• South Africa are looking to join New Zealand as the only team to win back-to-back World Cups, while Springboks captain Siya Kolisi could join Richie McCaw as the only skipper to win back-to-back tournaments.