The FRANCE 24 team wants to thank you for following and commenting on the World Cup on our blog. The final entry will be…yours! So what’s your prediction for the score in the final match? Leave it as a comment below! The person who guesses closest wins the right to publish his/her analysis of the final as a conclusion to our coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The big final
England are Saturday’s underdogs…just as they were against Australia and France. On September 14th, after the Spingboks stunned them 36-0 they were a team nobody could imagine reaching the final. The English squad has had a dramatic turnaround since then, shaking up their squad, then going from one success to another, playing on faith. The team playing the final will be, one player excepted, the same that defeated Australia and France. Coach Brian Ashton seems to have found the winning formula.
Will it be enough to beat the unstoppable Springboks and their power? With no injuries, the South African staff postponed its decision by one day to finally announce…the line up would be exactly the same as it had been previously. The Boks have had a rosy run so far and are confident. The only question is what will be their anti-Wilkinson plan….
England:
Robinson
Sackey, Tait, Catt, Cueto
Wilkinson, Gomarsall
Moody, Easter, Corry
Kay, Shaw
Vickery (c), Regan, Sheridan.
On the bench: Chuter, Stevens, Dallaglio, Worsley, Richards, Flood, Hipkiss
South Africa:
Montgomery
Pietersen, Fourie, Steyn, Habana
James, du Preez,
Rossouw, Smith, Burger,Matfield,
Botha, van der Linde,Smit (cap), du Randt.
On the bench : Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Muller, van Heerden,Pienaar, Pretorius, Olivier.
