Summary
South Africa are probably one of the few sides capable of repelling England in their current form, even if there was nothing pretty about the Springboks' grinding 16-13 semifinal win over Wales.
From the moment Eddie Jones took over as England coach following the team's woeful first-round exit on home soil at the 2015 World Cup, he has insisted the aim was to be crowned champions in Japan.
That they are now so close to realizing that ambition is a testament to the Australian, who was in charge of his native Wallabies when they lost the 2003 World Cup final thanks to England great Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal in the closing seconds of extra time. He was also a consultant to the Springboks side that beat England in the 2007 final.
Victory Saturday would not only see England lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for a second time, it would mean they had completed the unprecedented feat of beating the three southern hemisphere rugby powers in successive weeks following a 40-16 quarterfinal victory over Australia.
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