(Reuters) -The 2023 Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa will take place on Saturday Oct. 28 at 1900 GMT at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris.
NEW ZEALAND
The All Blacks will aim to claim their fourth World Cup title after a 44-6 victory over Argentina on Friday, and a 28-24 success over Ireland in the quarter-finals.
In the group phase, the All Blacks bounced back from defeat by France in the first match with bonus-point wins over Namibia, Italy and Uruguay.
The match against South Africa will be New Zealand’s fifth World Cup Final.
Team performance:
France 27-13 New Zealand
New Zealand 71-3 Namibia
New Zealand 96-17 Italy
New Zealand 73-0 Uruguay
Ireland 24-28 New Zealand
Argentina 6-44 New Zealand
The New Zealand Squad:
** Backs: Richie Mo’unga, Beauden Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie, Finlay Christie, Aaron Smith, Cam Roigard, David Havili, Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Mark Telea.
** Forwards: Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Dane Coles, Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Dalton Papali’i, Luke Jacobson, Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane (c), Samuel Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa’i, Tyrel Lomax, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Ethan de Groot, Fletcher Newell, Tamaiti Williams.
** Head Coach: Ian Foster.
William Hill odds to win tournament 1.8/1
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa reached the final with a 16-15 late win over England after beating hosts France 29-28 in a roller-coaster quarter-final.
The defending champions had finished second in Pool B after victories over Scotland, Romania and Tonga, and a loss to Ireland.
The match against New Zealand will be South Africa’s fourth World Cup Final. The Springboks won all three previous finals, in 1995, 2007 and 2019.
Team performance:
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
South Africa 76-0 Romania
South Africa 8-13 Ireland
South Africa 49-18 Tonga
France 28-29 South Africa
England 15-16 South Africa
The South African Squad:
** Backs: Manie Libbok, Willie le Roux, Faf de Klerk, Jaden Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams, Andre Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am, Damian Willemse, Canan Moodie, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse.
** Forwards: Deon Fourie, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Jasper Wiese, Duane Vermeulen, Kwagga Smith, Siya Kolisi (c), Marco van Staden, Pieter-Steph du Toit, RG Snyman, Jean Kleyn, Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Marvin Orie, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Vincent Koch, Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx (inj), Makazole Mapimpi (inj).
** Head Coach: Jacques Nienaber.
William Hill odds to win tournament: 2.25/1
THE BRONZE FINAL
The bronze final will take place on Friday Oct. 27 at 1900 GMT, also at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. Argentina and England will meet in the match to decide third place after each losing in their semi-finals. The two teams already played in the pool stage, when England won 27-10.
ARGENTINA
Argentina lost 6-44 the first semi-final against New Zealand after beating Wales 29-17 in the quarter-finals.
Argentina were second in Pool D after beating Japan 39-27 in a winner-takes-all shootout. They began the World Cup with a loss against England but recovered with wins over Samoa and Chile.
Team performance:
England 27-10 Argentina
Argentina 19-10 Samoa
Argentina 59-5 Chile
Japan 27-39 Argentina
Wales 17-29 Argentina
Argentina 6-44 New Zealand
The Argentinian Squad:
** Backs: Santiago Carreras, Nicolás Sánchez, Martín Bogado, Juan Cruz Mallia, Tomas Cubelli, Gonzalo Bertranou, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Matías Moroni, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Santiago Chocobares, Lucio Cinti, Marcos Kremer, Guido Petti Pagadizabal, Pedro Rubiolo, Juan Imhoff, Emiliano Boffelli, Mateo Carreras, Rodrigo Isgro.
** Forwards: Ignacio Ruiz, Julián Montoya (c), Agustín Creevy, Facundo Isa, Joaquín Oviedo, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Rodrigo Bruni, Tomas Lavanini, Matías Alemanno, Thomas Gallo, Joel Sclavi, Mayco Vivas, Eduardo Bello, Francisco Gómez Kodela, Lucas Paulos, Pablo Matera (inj.).
** Head Coach: Michael Cheika.
William Hill odds to beat England: 3.6/1
ENGLAND
England lost 15-16 in their semi-final against South Africa after beating Fiji 30-24 in the quarter-finals.
They were first in Pool D with consecutive wins over Argentina, Japan, Chile and Samoa.
Team performance:
England 27-10 Argentina
England 34-12 Japan
England 71-0 Chile
England 18-17 Samoa
England 30-24 Fiji
England 15-16 South Africa
The England Squad:
** Backs: Alex Mitchell, Ben Youngs, Danny Care, Jonny May, Owen Farrell (c), Max Malins, Ollie Lawrence, Joe Marchant, Marcus Smith, Manu Tuilagi, Henry Arundell, Freddie Steward, Elliot Daly, George Ford.
** Forwards: Jack Walker, Theo Dan, Jamie George, David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlam, Billy Vunipola, Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, George Martin, Will Stuart, Dan Cole, Bevan Rodd, Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Joe Marler, Sam Underhill, Jack Willis (inj).
** Head Coach: Steve Borthwick.
William Hill odds to beat Argentina: 1.36/1
PAST FINALS AND LOCATION
** 2019: South Africa 32-12 England, in Yokohama (Japan)
** 2015: New Zealand 34-17 Australia, in London (England)
** 2011: New Zealand 8-7 France, in Auckland (New Zealand)
** 2007: South Africa 15-6 England, in Saint-Denis (France)
** 2003: England 20-17 Australia (extra time), in Sydney (Australia)
** 1999: Australia 35-12 France, in Cardiff (Wales)
** 1995: South Africa 15-12 New Zealand (extra time), in Johannesburg (South Africa)
** 1991: Australia 12-6 England, in London (England), 1991
** 1987: New Zealand 29-9 France, in Auckland (New Zealand)
WHAT HAPPENS IN CASE OF A DRAW?
EXTRA TIME
In case of a draw at the end of 80 minutes, two periods of extra time of 10 minutes each will be played.
GOLDEN POINT EXTRA TIME
If the scores are still level after extra time a further 10 minutes of golden-point extra time will be played. The first team to score points win the game.
KICKING COMPETITION
If scores are still tied after golden-point extra time, a kicking competition will be played. Five players from each team will kick from three different positions with the team converting most kicks winning. If that fails to separate the teams, the kicking competition will continue in a sudden-death format until a winner is decided.
The three kicking positions, all on the 22 metre line, are as follows:
Position 1: directly in front of the posts;
Position 2: on the 15 metre line on the left-hand side of the posts;
Position 3: on the 15 metre line on the right-hand side of the posts.
RUGBY UNION WORLD CUP AUSTRALIA 2027: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
The next Rugby World Cup will be held in Australia in 2027.
Twelve venues have been selected to host games:
** Sydney: Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Western Sydney Stadium)
** Melbourne: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Docklands Stadium
** Perth: Perth Stadium
** Canberra: Canberra Stadium
** Brisbane: Lang Park
** Adelaide: Adelaide Oval
** Newcastle: Newcastle International Sports Centre
** Gold Coast: Robina Stadium
** Townsville: North Queensland Stadium
From 2027 the contest will expand to 24 teams from the current 20 squads. The top three finishers in each pool of the 2023 tournament are automatically qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, while the remaining slots will be allocated on a regional basis.
