Donal Lenihan's World Cup final preview

South Africa picking seven forwards for a final, it's massively brave in some ways, as they have only one back on the bench, Willie Le Roux, so there is always that inherent danger that if they were to lose a back in the opening ten or 15 minutes of the game, it opens them up to all kinds of possibilities.

It is fascinating; a lot of people don't like it, but it’s within the laws of the game and every team plays to their strengths. For over 100 years, South Africa’s strength has always been up front.

But look, they have been playing to dominate teams up front.

New Zealand have a different style, they have got better and better as the tournament went on.

They probably reached a peak, unfortunately, against Ireland in that incredible quarter-final.

They make one allowance on their bench for what South Africa are doing; they brought back in Nepo Laulala as their reserve tight head, because Ox Nche, who is the reserve loosehead prop for South Africa, has created havoc every time he has come on in the last 20 minutes of World Cup games.

The penalties that he has won from the scrum, albeit some of them questionable, have resulted in South Africa beating France and beating England last week in the semi-finals by a one-point margin.

So New Zealand make a little allowance there, as Laulala is a better scrummager than Fletcher Newell who he replaces. He wouldn’t be as good around the field but there is a practicality called for by New Zealand.

So it is going to be a fascinating game from that point of view.

Nobody has the strength in depth that South Africa has in the pack, and what they do have is players that have the capacity, forwards, like Kwagga Smith who is a former sevens player; he is a back row forward in effect, but he can play