That could leave South Africa exposed if it has backline injuries on Sunday morning NZT at Stade de France as it seeks back-to-back titles to match the feat of the All Blacks in 20. Willie le Roux is the only back in the reserves. South Africa kept four of the five of forwards that were on the bench for the semifinal, with prop Trevor Nyakane in for the injured Vincent Koch in a forced change. He was brought off the bench for Libbok and played a match-winning role in the quarter-final against France and semifinal against England. 10 for the final having recovered from injury and joined the squad midway through the World Cup. Hooker Bongi Mbonambi was named in the starting line-up and cleared to play after World Rugby said there was insufficient evidence to support an allegation by England's Tom Curry that Mbonambi directed a discriminatory remark at him during South Africa's tense 16-15 win in the semifinals. South Africa experimented with a then-unprecedented 7-1 split in a warm-up game against New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup and won by a record 35-7 against a 14-man All Blacks. 8 Jasper Wiese added for an extended “bomb squad” of seven reserve forwards to face the resurgent All Blacks in the first World Cup final between the two fierce rivals since 1995. The big surprise from Springboks management Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber was the bench split, with lock Jean Kleyn and No. Pollard was promoted from the reserves along with scrumhalf Faf de Klerk - the same halves combination that started in the Springboks' victory in the final four years ago. South Africa have selected Handre Pollard to start at first-five in the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand and packed its bench with forwards in a high-risk 7-1 split.
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