Rugby World Cup Schedule 2015: Date, Time, Live Stream and TV Info for Final
The Rugby World Cup final takes centre stage on Saturday, as New Zealand take on neighbours Australia for the right to be crowned champions of the world.
Both sides were forced to scrap their way through their respective semi-final ties last weekend against South Africa and Argentina, respectively, yet still come into the final in exemplary form and full of confidence.
And despite the fact that the All Blacks will be red-hot favourites to claim back-to-back world titles, it’s very much a case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
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Here’s all you need to know about the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, including where you can watch the hard-hitting drama unfold.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 4 p.m. GMT/12 p.m. ET
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
TV Info: ITV 1 (U.K. only)
Live Stream: ITV Player (U.K. only), Universal Sports (U.S. only)
Clash of the Titans at Twickenham
New Zealand vs. Australia has almost been scripted as the final throughout the Rugby World Cup—it’s all just been a case of waiting for 20 to become two.
Both teams have been nothing short of faultless over the past month, with their free-flowing rugby simply too good for all before them.
Now, though, it’s all about 80 minutes under the lights at Twickenham.
The All Blacks understandably come into the tie as favourites to retain their title, yet Australia showed in their semi-final against Argentina that they can’t be written off.
The South Americans rallied hard in the latter stages of the match, but the Wallabies were simply too good and deservedly emerged victorious.
Still, the Aussies have somewhat underachieved in previous World Cups, as Saturday’s final marks their first appearance in the big dance since 2003, when England pipped them at the post.
However, with players like Adam Ashley-Cooper and David Pocock producing the goods game in, game out, it could well be time for that reputation to be put to bed.
The former scored a breathtaking hat-trick in the match against Argentina and revealed that he’s looking forward to getting back on the field on Saturday—via the Wallabies' official Twitter feed:
Should he produce another masterclass, then New Zealand are in trouble. However, it seems the Aussies may need to change their game plan if they want to reap success.
The Wallabies have played aggressive, attacking rugby throughout, yet the All Blacks’ ability to catch teams out on the counter means they’ll need to be more conservative this time around.
Coach Michael Cheika stands by his philosophy, although he said that he’ll try to get the balance right against New Zealand, via Beth Newman of the team's website:
"You’ve got to always have the foundation of contact, go forward, all those things. It’s all part of the way we want to play the game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We didn’t score against Wales. Like you’ve seen because the results are always close even when we’re not getting tries, it’s not always the magic barometer either. You’ve just got to get the right balance.
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Meanwhile, the All Blacks have been boosted by their captain Richie McCaw being available for the final.
McCaw appeared to elbow South Africa’s Francois Louw in the semi-final, but no action is to be taken by the Rugby World Cup—as ESPN Scrum revealed:
That could give New Zealand the boost that they need, although coach Steve Hansen believes his side can rise to the occasion and lift the trophy once again, as he told the team’s official website: “We’ll go into the final really hungry for a performance. We won’t be overrating ourselves, which will be good. I think we’ll lift, there’ll be enough excitement. The final will be energising in its own right."
New Zealand failed to kick into top gear in their semi-final against South Africa, and although the Springboks didn’t punish them, the Aussies won’t hesitate to tuck them away if it happens again.
So, it’s all set up for a real spectacle in London, with the two best teams in the business going toe-to-toe for the biggest prize in the sport.
Both teams have class in abundance and the ability to hammer home an advantage, but as the Rugby World Cup 2015 has already taught us, anything can happen in 80 minutes.
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