England lost the 2007 Rugby World Cup final to South Africa 15-6 in Paris. It was aggressive and unconventional, but seemed to confuse the All Blacks as they got off to a slow start.
Eddie Jones sent tongue-in-cheek best wishes to Warren Gatland for Wales' bronze medal match after the New Zealander queried whether England had played their World Cup final a match early.
Even two-time World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett felt the heat, overhitting box kicks and failing to impose himself on the game.
Instead he will have to make do with the third place play-off against New Zealand - fitting opponents but an underwhelming stage for Gatland's last match in charge.
Gatland's Wales side were knocked out of the World Cup on Sunday, losing 19-16 to South Africa.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure that the World Cup final will be won by a very expansive style and wonderful tries - it might be, I might be wrong - but I think we'll go and try and grind it out".
Jones picked just two specialist scrum-halves in his 31-man squad for Japan. There was a big turnover from a breakdown.
It was Springbok forward power which eventually decided the issue with Wales forced to pull down a rumbling lineout drive to concede the penalty which stand-off Pollard drilled through the posts from a tight angle.
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Since the opening game, there has also been little to fault in the South African gameplan.
Handre Pollard calmly slotted the penalty, extending his ideal kicking record to four penalties and a conversion, to make the final margin three points. "A bounce of the ball and it might have been different". The game delivered on expectations for a tight, physical contest at the breakdowns and a lot of kicks - 81 from hand in all.
Makazole Mapimpi crossed for two tries and Faf De Klerk also raced in, with Handre Pollard posting 11 points off the tee as South Africa squeezed the life out of the Brave Blossoms.
Ticket prices for the final have ramped up and an army of England fans are expected to descend on Tokyo.
Ross Moriarty manouevered the ball clear from a creaking set piece for Jonathan Davies put Josh Adams in and Leigh Halfpenny tied things up from the touchline.
"The crowds here generally in the World Cup have been fantastic and I thought our supporters on Saturday night were massively instrumental in helping us get home. We'd love to win the World Cup". "To be fair, those games against South Africa in the last five or six years have all been tight, close encounters that could have gone either way".
The All Blacks were running around in the backfield like they were playing sevens. We always said to those guys outside the 31 that they need to be ready, and he is ready to go.
"We've got used to the environment, we've adapted quickly and got to know what works for you and what doesn't work for you while you're here".
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