South Africa picking seven forwards for a final, it's massively brave in some ways, as they have only one back on the bench, Willie Le Roux, so there is always that inherent danger that if they were to lose a back in the opening ten or 15 minutes of the game, it opens them up to all kinds of possibilities.
It is fascinating; a lot of people don't like it, but it’s within the laws of the game and every team plays to their strengths. For over 100 years, South Africa’s strength has always been up front.
But look, they have been playing to dominate teams up front.
New Zealand have a different style, they have got better and better as the tournament went on.
They probably reached a peak, unfortunately, against Ireland in that incredible quarter-final.
They make one allowance on their bench for what South Africa are doing; they brought back in Nepo Laulala as their reserve tight head, because Ox Nche, who is the reserve loosehead prop for South Africa, has created havoc every time he has come on in the last 20 minutes of World Cup games.
The penalties that he has won from the scrum, albeit some of them questionable, have resulted in South Africa beating France and beating England last week in the semi-finals by a one-point margin.
So New Zealand make a little allowance there, as Laulala is a better scrummager than Fletcher Newell who he replaces. He wouldn’t be as good around the field but there is a practicality called for by New Zealand.
So it is going to be a fascinating game from that point of view.
Nobody has the strength in depth that South Africa has in the pack, and what they do have is players that have the capacity, forwards, like Kwagga Smith who is a former sevens player; he is a back row forward in effect, but he can play in the centre, he can play on the wing.
Other teams don’t have that flexibility.
Cheslin Kobe, who is a world class winger, he is their reserve scrum-half. Then they have Deon Fourie, who in effect is a back row forward, and he is their reserve hooker.
You have to say, Rassie Erasmus, Jacques Nienaber, they have been thinking outside the box, I don’t think it will catch on, in fact, it might encourage World Rugby to put a limit on the number of forwards that you can put on the bench, but that’s a debate for another day.
There is no surprises going into this game, New Zealand know what they face and they are well used to playing against South Africa.
The first time they did the 7:1 thing was in the World Cup warm-up in August at Twickenham and they put 35 points against New Zealand.
New Zealand were almost shamed that night, but we know what they are like when they are looking for revenge. Ireland saw the outcome of that having beaten them in a series in 2022, their whole World Cup was geared towards beating Ireland and they did that on the night.
It’s now a question whether they can dig deep and do it again against South Africa in what is going to be a fascinating final.
I fancied South Africa coming into the World Cup, but I’m tilted slightly towards New Zealand, only because they had one extra day’s rest after the semi-final and they had a cake-walk against Argentina, so they might have a little bit more left in the bench.
But if it’s tight going into the last 10 or 15 minutes with that forward strength coming on, you wouldn’t put it past South Africa, but I’m going marginally for New Zealand at this stage.
Donal Lenihan was speaking on Morning Ireland
Watch New Zealand v South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTE.ie/Sport or the RTÉ News app
