South Africa announce unchanged team for final

South Africa have named an unchanged starting team for tomorrow's World Cup final against England at the Stade de France but dumped former captain Bob Skinstad from the bench.

Springboks' coach Jake White kept faith with the same 15 that started in last weekend's 37-13 semi-final win over Argentina but made one change to his reserves.

Loose forward Wikus van Heerden, who lost his place to Skinstad for the Pumas' match, was recalled with Skinstad dropping out of the 22.

"It's quite simple, there's no emotional decisions that you need to make in rugby, they've got to be rugby decisions," White said.

"I think it's only fair on Wikus, he was part of the team that beat England in that first pool game and part of the team for the quarter-final."

Tomorrow's starting side will be the most experienced South Africa has fielded in a test, boasting 668 test caps between them.

It is also arguably stronger than the side that hammered England 36-0 in the pool stage because of the availability of combative flanker Schalk Burger, who missed that match through suspension.

The Springboks will start as overwhelming favourites to win the final although White believes England have all the advantages after winning the title in 2003.

The only South African squad member to have played in a World Cup final was loosehead prop Os Du Randt, who is the only survivor from the Springboks team that won the Webb Ellis Cup at home in 1995.

"There's a lot of these English players who have been there and won a World Cup... so that's a massive advantage to have," White said.

"We're really looking forward to it now but it's going to be a completely different outing for us as it was in the pool game. England must be in a great mindset, they were dead and buried two weeks ago but they came back and beat Australia and France in consecutive weekends.

"And they've got a group of players who have won a World Cup, so that's a big advantage."