After a month and a half of brutal, exciting and cannot-take-your-eyes-off-it rugby, we are down to the final two games of the 2015 Rugby World Cup – the bronze final (a fancier name for the third-place playoff) and the final.
It goes without saying that all the attention will be on that final between the two southern hemisphere rivals New Zealand and Australia, and rightly too, as it promises to be an absolute humdinger.
Australia have been the more impressive team overall in this 2015 Rugby World Cup, coming through the group of death, before seeing off their rivals in the knockout rounds. Yes, the Wallabies were lucky to eke out a win over Scotland in the quarterfinals, after receiving a penalty that shouldn't have been given in the final moments, but that luck was probably due considering the manner in which they topped Pool A, which also had the likes of England, Wales and Fiji.
While the semifinal victory against Argentina was a lot less nail-biting, the Wallabies will know they will need to be at their best, and then some (and probably a little more after that) to beat the All Blacks.
New Zealand played the best rugby this World Cup has seen by some distance in the mauling of France in the quarterfinals, and even if they were given a real test by South Africa – which, after all, was only expected – they will go into this final in confident mood.
If New Zealand turn on anything remotely resembling that quarterfinal style, the famous trophy will stay with the All Blacks. But then, playing in that manner against an assured Australia side will not be easy, even if it sure will be fun if they do.
Before the big final on Saturday, though, there is that bronze final between South Africa and Argentina. The Springboks will use this match as a farewell game to one of their all-time greats Victor Matfield, who will retire from international rugby after this contest.
Having suffered a narrow defeat to New Zealand in the semifinal, South Africa will want to end this World Cup on a high, especially considering they started it on such a sour note, when they went down to Japan in that unforgettable match.
However, Argentina will want to do the same as well, and having done outstandingly to get to the semifinals in the first place, they will want to add the gloss to a successful World Cup by toppling the Springboks come Friday.
2015 Rugby World Cup schedule: Bronze final: South Africa vs Argentina.
Date: Friday, 30 October.
Time: 8 pm local time (1.30 am IST, 3 pm ET, 10 pm SAST, 5 pm Arg).
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
Final: New Zealand vs Australia.
Date: Saturday, 31 October.
Time: 4 pm local time (9.30 pm IST, 11 am ET, 5 pm NZT, 3 am AEDT).
Venue: Twickenham in London.
TV listings: India: Sony Six. New Zealand: Sky Sport. Australia: Fox Sports. South Africa: SuperSport. UK and Ireland: ITV. USA: Universal Sports. Canada: TSN.
