Boks expect 'grind' against All Black rivals in World Cup final

The Springboks and All Blacks share an unparalleled rivalry in the oval-ball sport and have reached the final at the Stade de France thanks largely to dramatic, respective quarterfinal victories over France and Ireland, both of whom were fancied to make the latter stages.

PARIS - Defending champions South Africa expect Saturday's Rugby World Cup final against "greatest foes" New Zealand to be a "grind" as both teams eye what would be a record fourth tournament title.

So once again the Cup will head southwards, to one of the two most successful World Cup teams, each having previously won three times.New Zealand won in 1987, 2011 and 2015, but lost that 1995 final to the Springboks in a moment made special by Nelson Mandela's rallying call as South Africa embarked on its arduous voyage away from the dark days of apartheid.

"It's probably the biggest occasion that we will ever be part of and probably the biggest rugby game there has ever been. "We all remember the last final between us , which was an epic, and hopefully this one will be the same. Then you do the maths and we've got three World Cups each and someone is going to win four, so it's a special occasion, isn't it?"

Hooker Bongi Mbonambi also starts, having been cleared by World Rugby of having used a racial slur against England's Tom Curry in last weekend's semifinal, much to the ire of the English federation.Nienaber also plumped for seven forwards among the replacements, with just veteran full-back Willie Le Roux representing the backs.

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