South Africa have gone with seven forwards and one back while New Zealand have opted for a more conventional 5-3 split for Saturday's Rugby World Cup final at Stade de France.

The Springboks don't believe in looking back, only forward, and this week they've put a literal spin on that approach by naming seven forwards and just one back for the Rugby World Cup 2023 final.

As brazen acts of confidence go, it's like Muhammad Ali predicting in which round he would knock his opponent out. This is the World Cup final, against the All Blacks! It's insane. And possibly genius too. The line between the two is a fine one.

They have four scrumhalves in the 33-man Springbok squad but only picked one - Faf de Klerk. They have a makeshift hooker/flank on the bench in Deon Fourie. Cheslin Kolbe will fill in as scrumhalf if needed. What happens if Faf is hurt in the first minute of the game?

There is so much risk, but it's a team selected with the expected slippery conditions in mind and perhaps some nuggets of information gleaned over two contrasting contests against the All Blacks this year.

At Mt Smart Stadium in the Rugby Championships, the Boks lost 35-20 after falling 17-0 behind in as many minutes. What is forgotten is how much the Boks physically dominated the All Blacks after the half-hour...