Jonah Lomu, the late, great All Blacks wing, famously never scored a Test try against the Springboks. Somehow, South Africa kept him out, including during the 1995 World Cup final — a defensive mindset they are taking into Sunday and their challenge in stopping danger man Will Jordan.
All Blacks wing Jordan, on a remarkable 31 tries in 30 Tests (six tries behind Lomu's overall tally) has scored eight tries in France — the equal record for a single men's World Cup with Lomu, Julian Savea and Bryan Habana.
One more for the 25-year-old Jordan, who scored a hat-trick for the All Blacks in their quarter-final win over Argentina, will take him above that trio but standing in the way is the notoriously water-tight South Africa defence.
"I think that the 23 that goes out there, we all buy into our defensive plan, stick to what we think is best," Boks fullback Willie le Roux said.
"We can stop them, everyone from scoring, not just him, stop the All Blacks from scoring.
"He's an amazing all-round player. He chips and chases, he can do anything, scores from anywhere, create something out of nothing. An unbelievable ball player."
Le Roux, 34, speaks from experience. He's seen a few good ones. But he also received criticism on social media for his act in provoking a scuffle at the end of the Boks' 16-15 semifinal victory over England at the Stade de France.
Many felt he was out of order in running towards and celebrating in front of Owen Farrell and Danny Care, which led to pushing and shoving with the England skipper, but le Roux maintained it was a misunderstanding.
"It was just emotion," he said. "I think I had the same emotion as everyone back home. I was excited. The margins in those big games are so small, I just jumped up out of emotion, of happiness as we'd just got through a World Cup semi-final.
"There was no disrespect to any of the English players. I think they thought there was and I immediately told them there wasn't and then it stopped. There was nothing, nothing about that."
He is likely to be again on the reserves bench, part of a 'bomb squad' that was influential in South Africa's recent come-from-behind victory over England and before that France in the quarter-final.
Asked about the possibility of being selected to face the All Blacks in a repeat of the 1995 final won in extra time by South Africa, he said: "That would be unbelievable. I was six years old in 1995 and I can just remember my dad and mum screaming in the house and I couldn't understand exactly what was going on.
"But to be able to have a chance to play in the final against them would be amazing."
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