The incredibly difficult journey to stay the World Champions will reach breaking point for the Springboks on Saturday night.
Not much is in favour of South Africa leading into the final of this year’s Rugby World Cup and it will also be the case when the match against New Zealand starts at 21:00 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis just north of Paris.
The Springboks not only have to face the form side of the tournament but many other factors are making life difficult for Siya Kolisi’s men.
It has been challenging for the Boks to prepare for the biggest match of their careers with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over one of their key players Bongi Mbonambi after being accused of a racial slur by England flanker Tom Curry in the semi-final.
The Springboks had to face much tougher opposition than the All Blacks to get to the final and it is a huge ask to deliver another match-winning performance after grueling matches in the quarter- and semi-final.
Then there is the French crowd, the stadium can host more than 80 000 spectators, who made no secret about the fact that they don’t like the South Africans after the Boks beat the hosts 29-28 in the quarter-final.
After the Boks beat England 16-15 in the semi-final, the French were joined by England in crying about refereeing decisions which favoured the South Africans in their view.
Wayne Barnes of England is the referee in the final and the crowd will put him under huge pressure. His style of refereeing probably suits the All Blacks better and against this background Bok fans fear the 50-50 decisions won’t go the way of the defending champions.
Barnes didn’t have a good match when he was the referee in Marseille last year when France beat South Africa 30-26.
After the match he was severely criticized by South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and the Springbok fans. Barnes was distraught by the criticism and very nearly retired from refereeing.
Erasmus is very active on social media and while most South Africans love it, it made the Boks unpopular in many other rugby circles.
Another factor that the Boks must master is a possibly wet field. Conditions will be the same for both teams but the Boks took their time to adjust to the wet conditions in the semi-final against England.
Whatever the conditions, this is a dream final between two old enemies and the powerhouses of world rugby to decide the most successful team in World Cup history.
Both countries have won the William Webb Ellis trophy three times and New Zealand still talks about how unlucky they were to be beaten 15-12 in the final of 1995 in South Africa.
They want revenge big time and the Springboks will have to dig deep and show that fighting spirit they are renowned for one more time to hang onto the cup.
Although the Springbok fans will be outnumbered in the stadium, the Boks can rely on the supporters at home to carry them to glory.
Hopefully the Boks can make it a bit easier on the nerves this time after just scraping home in the play-offs. The supporters can hardly handle another nail biter – imagine this goes into extra time like in 1995!
The message is the same for the Boks and their supporters when the All Blacks start the Haka on Saturday night – stay in the game for one last time!
