A thrilling win over New Zealand last weekend secured England’s place against South Africa, who narrowly squeezed past Wales in their semi-final.
ADVERTISEMENTEngland and South Africa are preparing to go head to head on Saturday at the Yokohama Stadium in Japan, in a battle for the Rugby World Cup.
A thrilling win over New Zealand last weekend secured England’s place against South Africa, who narrowly squeezed past Wales in their semi-final.
England saw two tries ruled out by the television match official, but beat the All Blacks 19-7, while the Springboks beat Wales 19-16 in a tightly contested affair.
The match will be refereed by Jerome Garces, the first Frenchman to get the honour of officiating a Rugby World Cup final.
“It is a dream as a referee,” Garces said of his appointment, which was announced by World Rugby on Tuesday.
He has refereed 55 Tests, including 11 World Cup games - including South Africa’s defeat to Japan at the 2015 World Cup.
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The two finalists faced each other four times in 2018, with the sides both winning two of the matches.
England coach Eddie Jones took over a struggling side in 2015, with the stated aim of making England the best team in the world.
After beating New Zealand last Saturday, England were promoted to the top of the world rankings for the first time in 15 years.
South Africa sit at number two in the world.
The final will take place this Saturday at 10 a.m. CET.