Pollard, De Klerk back in Bok side for World Cup final

Nienaber announced his starting team for Saturday with only two changes - recalling the 2019 final halfback pairing of Handré Pollard and Faf de Klerk to the run-on side.

Pollard and De Klerk are among a starting team that features 10 players who started in the RWC final four years ago, making them the most experienced in Springbok history.

The team holds a combined total of 987 caps.

South Africa and New Zealand have been playing test matches against each other since 1921.

They are considered the great rivals in rugby history - making the Saturday match the most anticipated as South Africa is looking to join New Zealand as the only team to win back-to-back world cups.

"This is an experienced team with several players who played in the last Rugby World Cup final and who know exactly what to expect at Stade de France on Saturday and what it will take to retain the title,” Nienaber said.

“The players who will be playing in their first World Cup final have also proven their worth as warriors throughout this campaign, and they are all ready for this massive occasion.

“We have said many times that we pick teams for varying game plans depending on the opponent and that we use all 23 players to try and achieve those goals.

“We’ve gone from a five-three bench split to a seven-one split to give us the best chance of being successful. We have plans in place to mitigate injuries in the backline, but we’re excited about our plan and we embrace the risk," said Nienaber.

Springbok team to face New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final:

15 - Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers)

14 - Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls)  -

13 - Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) 

12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) 

11 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) 

10 – Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers) 

9 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) 

8 – Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby) 

7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) 

6 – Siya Kolisi (captain – Racing 92) 

5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat, Japan) 

4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 

3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers)

2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) 

1 - Steven Kitshoff (Ulster) 

Replacements

16 - Deon Fourie 

17 - Ox Nche

18 - Trevor Nyakane 

19 - Jean Kleyn 

20 - RG Snyman 

21 - Kwagga Smith

22 - Jasper Wiese 

23 - Willie le Roux 

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