NZ vs. Australia: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 Final
The Rugby World Cup 2015 comes to an end on Saturday evening, where New Zealand will look to dismiss Australia and become the first nation ever to win successive world titles.
Eighty minutes stand between Steve Hansen's side and that most hallowed spot in the history books, with the Twickenham showdown set to become the first of its kind contested by two southern hemisphere teams on European soil.
Statistically, the Wallabies have been the inferior team in recent matchups and have won just once in their last 12 meetings with the All Blacks, a Sydney victory that helped them seal this year's Rugby Championship.
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Michael Cheika is barely a year into his reign at the Australia helm and has already galvanised the team to become World Cup contenders; he is now seeking a 2015 double over New Zealand.
Saturday's final will also see one of these nations mark their place as the most successful in World Cup history as both teams enter the fray with two tournament crowns to their name, seeking to complete their hat-tricks.
The Wallabies last won the tournament in 1999, building on their 1991 triumph, while New Zealand won the inaugural competition in 1987 before waiting a massive 24 years to again prevail in 2011.
Read on for a breakdown of which players are likely to have the heaviest influence on the biggest rugby match of 2015 and arguably of this century, where the world's top two are set to explode in England's capital.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 4 p.m. GMT/12 p.m. ET/(Sunday, Nov. 1) 12 a.m. AEST/4 a.m. NZDT
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), Universal Sports (U.S.), Fox Sports (AUS), Sky Go (NZ), SuperSport (SA)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 2 (AUS), Sky Sport 1 (NZ), SuperSport 1 (SA)
| October 24, 2015 | New Zealand 20-18 South Africa |
| October 17, 2015 | South Africa 23-19 Wales |
| October 7, 2015 | South Africa 64-0 United States |
| October 3, 2015 | Scotland 16-34 South Africa |
| September 26, 2015 | Samoa 6-46 South Africa |
| October 25, 2015 | Argentina 15-29 Australia |
| October 18, 2015 | Australia 35-34 Scotland |
| October 10, 2015 | Australia 15-6 Wales |
| October 3, 2015 | England 13-33 Australia |
| September 27, 2015 | Australia 65-3 Uruguay |
Team Lineups
New Zealand: 15. Ben Smith, 14. Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma'a Nonu, 11. Julian Savea, 10. Daniel Carter, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Richie McCaw (C), 6. Jerome Kaino, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Brodie Retallick, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Dane Coles, 1. Joe Moody
Argentina: 15. Israel Folau, 14. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Will Genia, 8. David Pocock, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Kane Douglas, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Stephen Moore (C), 1. Scott Sio
Key Players to Watch
Aaron Smith
It would be unfair to claim All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith goes entirely without praise, but as the Mr. Consistent of New Zealand's back line, he perhaps doesn't get the credit he deserves for his craft.
One might suggest his job is made easier by the list of world-class assets that surround him, but even Saturday's opposite number Will Genia admitted who's top dog among rugby's No. 9s, per BBC Radio 5 Live's Christopher Jones:
New Zealand's signature traits are control of tempo and their ability to dictate a game's pace, throttling their way up the pitch with intensity when it's needed or opting to ease their way through the phases when called for.
In that sense, Smith is the puppeteer in general for the reigning world champions, and ex-Australia full-back Glen Ella told the Sydney Morning Herald the half-back must be stopped to quell the All Blacks' threat (via Steve Deane of the New Zealand Herald):
"As I said to 'Cheik,' you have just got to bash Aaron to stop his chance to run. You have to bury him. You have to make sure your forwards are around those rucks and mauls. Don't slip up. Don't look the other way. Look at the halfback first until he passes the ball.
"
If Julian Savea has on off day, New Zealand can survive. If Kieran Read isn't at the races, the All Blacks may still win. But if Aaron Smith isn't at his best, it becomes more difficult to see Hansen's side successfully defending their belt.
| New Zealand Win | 2-5 |
| Draw | 20-1 |
| Australia WIn | 5-2 |
| First Tryscorer: Ben Smith | 14-1 |
David Pocock
David Pocock's journey from injury-ravaged would-be to match-winning world-beater is almost complete, and his nomination for the 2015 World Rugby Player of the Year award is recognition of his comeback tale.
There's no way to downplay the breakdown duel set to unfold at Twickenham on Saturday as the Brumbies man encounters legend-status Richie McCaw. Ex-Wallabies wizard David Campese highlighted this particular battle as the most enticing on the cards:
Pocock's irrepressible engine is what allows him to regularly stack up such superb turnover figures, and OptaJonny detailed just how effective the back row has been in stripping the opposition of possession:
Cheika's men can't afford to allow New Zealand the time on the ball that South Africa did in their semi-final defeat, and Pocock will be a critical component to ensuring their momentum is stunted.
It's no overstatement to claim that if Australia do win on Saturday, it will be thanks to Pocock's influence over the course of this tournament, where he hopes to cap his competition with another reassuring display for his side.
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