During pool play at the Rugby World Cup there was free and opening running but in the knockout stage the game was dominated by stifling defence. The South African’s ability to switch gears was one of the major reasons they now have the Webb Ellis trophy for the next four years.

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In a titanic struggle fitting of the World Cup final it was South Africa who made the most of their chances to claim their second World Cup title with a 15-6 win over England at Stad de France.

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The only two remaining undefeated teams at Rugby World Cup 2007 meet at Stad de France on Sunday evening with a place against England in the World Cup final at stake. It doesn’t get much bigger than this.

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The Rugby World Cup began a little over three weeks ago and has treated fans to some wonderful rugby so far, but the festival atmosphere and high scoring games are about to come to an end as the tournament shifts gear into the knockout phase.

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The clash of these two rugby powerhouses will not only determine the winner of Pool A, but with the prospect of facing either Scotland or Italy it also provides the winner with an easier road to the semi final. The loser of this game will find their road to the semi final goes through the Wallabies.

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All of the major teams at Rugby World Cup 2007 have now played one game and, while the quality of opposition varied, some teams have put in very good performances and others will have alarm bells ringing after poor showings. The divide between Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams has been obvious as the Southern Hemisphere teams have all played well, while the performances from their Northern rivals ranged from average to dreadful.

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Rugby’s show-piece kicks off in a week’s time and fans from all around the world are trying to decide who will be the first of the contenders to slip up. Unfortunately any upsets will not be happening in the first week.

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After being brought in as a technical advisor to the Springboks, Eddies Jones has had his contract with South Africa extended to the end of the World Cup, but will this union of two former rivals bear fruit?

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This is the first in a series of articles in which Hamish McBrearty examines the what the contenders must do to claim rugby’s ultimate prize. Springbok coach Jake White’s mission has always been to win the Rugby World Cup and he certainly has the team to do it - if they play to their strengths.

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When fans think of game breaking players, they generally think of silky fly halves controlling the tempo or of speedy wingers sprinting down the flanks - but winning the World Cup will require a rugged lock in the engine room as well.

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