Springbok 'Beast' braced for English onslaught in final

YOKOHAMA, Japan - South Africa's Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira believes the Springboks will have to "play out of our skins" to beat England in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.

England booked its place in the showpiece match in Yokohama with a stunning 19-7 win over New Zealand last weekend that ended the All Blacks' eight-year reign as world champions.

By contrast, South Africa ground out a 16-13 semifinal victory over Wales in an attritional contest to set up a repeat of the 2007 final that the Springboks won 15-6 in Paris.

"They (England) are playing great rugby and with confidence so it is going to be a big challenge for us," said Mtawarira, whose 'Beast' nickname, which dates back to his school days in Zimbabwean capital Harare, is an affectionate tribute to the 250-pound prop's strength.

"They were charged up for the (New Zealand) game, right from the first minute. They got on the front foot and were more physical and they got their reward."

South Africa has been triumphant in two previous World Cup finals, memorably defeating New Zealand on home soil in 1995 before beating England in Paris in 2007.

Victory in Yokohama on Saturday would continue the Springboks' sequence of being crowned world champions at 12-year intervals, but it would also mean they have to make history of a different kind.

Every team that has ever lifted the Webb Ellis Cup has gone through the tournament unbeaten. The Boks, however, lost their first match at this World Cup, 23-13 to New Zealand in Yokohama last month.

Mtawarira, a veteran of 116 Tests who is set to retire from the game after the tournament, knows that history will mean little when the teams take to the field.

"What has happened in the past doesn't really count. We know we'll have to play out of our skins to win on Saturday," he said.

The last time the finalists met, England squeaked out a 12-11 victory at London's Twickenham stadium in November 2018, with Red Rose captain Owen Farrell fortunate not to concede a penalty when, with 80 minutes on the clock, he escaped censure for an illegal no-arms tackle.

"Every time we play against each other it's always a physical onslaught and I don't think it will be any different next Saturday," said Mtawarira, adding he was "excited" by the prospect of facing England props Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler.

The 1995 World Cup remains a landmark in South African history, with the sight of Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar providing an iconic image of the 'Rainbow Nation', but Mtawarira was only 10 years old and it passed him by.

"I was just a primary school kid in Zimbabwe back then; I didn't watch rugby ... I was playing soccer," said the 34-year-old.

The second win under the captaincy of John Smit in 2007 - which took place a year before Beast's Test debut - made more of a lasting impression.

"In 2007 I watched and it was amazing, inspirational stuff. To be part of a World Cup final is a dream come true for me," he said.

"I have worked hard throughout my career to get here and I want to make it count."

First non-white captain

Victory for South Africa in the final would, as was the case 24 years ago, have a resonance beyond rugby, given flanker Siya Kolisi is the Boks' first non-white captain.

"It would be extra special," said Mtawarira, who was granted South African citizenship in 2010.

"Siya is an inspirational leader, in the way South Africa has got behind him.

"It means a lot to unite the country. He has been exemplary. It would be amazing to win this World Cup with him as captain."

And it would be an amazing way for Beast to bring down the curtain on a memorable international career.

Agence France - Presse