Rugby World Cup 2015 Final: Australia vs. New Zealand Date, Schedule and Preview
After such a high-quality tournament, there will, perhaps, be no better way to end it than to see holders New Zealand take on old enemies Australia in the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final.
Australia will play in their fourth final after seeing off Argentina 29-15 on Sunday, while New Zealand will do the same after overcoming South Africa 20-18 the day prior.
Despite six of the previous seven finals featuring one of them, the rivals have never before met on the biggest stage of all.
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Read on for a look ahead to the showpiece event, starting with the schedule for the final:
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 4 p.m. GMT/12 p.m. ET/(Sunday, Nov. 1) 2 a.m. AEST/5 a.m. NZDT
Venue: Twickenham Stadium
Preview
The pair are deserved finalists after showing their exceptional quality throughout the tournament.
Both displayed their ability to dominate and dismantle teams with ease to run up a huge score and likewise grind out narrow results in hard-fought contests.
The Wallabies were fairly comfortable victors against a resilient Argentina side, though they were only one score ahead for much of the match.
A crucial figure in their win—and indeed their entire tournament—was No. 8 David Pocock, who has been magnificent in winning possession for his team, per Opta Jonny:
Indeed, his ability to halt the opposition's momentum and turn defence into attack has earned him the highest praise from rugby journalist Simon Thomas:
Pocock will need to be at his best to slow the All Blacks' rampant forward line, who have outscored Australia by 10 tries.
Equally vital will be fly-half Bernard Foley, who has scored 15 penalties and racked up an impressive 75 points—over one-third of Australia's 205.
However, the 26-year-old missed several conversions in the Wallabies' quarter-final win over Scotland and similarly missed opportunities in the semi-final.
Fox Sports' Mark Gottlieb highlighted his inconsistency:
Opportunities to score against New Zealand could be scarce, so Foley will need to ensure he takes every chance he gets or it could mean the difference between elation and devastation on Saturday.
Generally more reliable is the almost metronomic All Blacks veteran Dan Carter, whose 63 points at the tournament has seen him reach an impressive milestone, per Opta Jonny:
The last two finals have been incredibly close encounters with New Zealand beating France 8-7 in 2011 and South Africa breaking England's hearts 15-6 in 2007 in a match decided solely by penalties.
Should Saturday's match follow a similar pattern, Carter and Foley could be in almost direct competition with one another—and with such fine margins, a single miss could make the difference.
What will also help the All Blacks is their incredible ability to handle intense pressure, as it did in their win over South Africa, per sports journalist Nick Howson:
A penalty brought the Springboks within two points of New Zealand with 10 minutes still to play, but the All Blacks defended magnificently without the ball and kept it well when they won it—and that could play a big role if the scores are close late on against Australia.
According to Fox Sports' Christy Doran and Dan Walsh, the final will be the last international match in All Black for Carter and fellow veterans Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Keven Mealumu, while captain Richie McCaw is also likely to follow suit.
The match could well be a close encounter, but New Zealand's experience and superior kicking give them the edge that should produce a fairytale ending to several glittering careers.
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