Former All Black Sir John Kirwan is desperate for a quick game in the Rugby World Cup final against the Springboks.

The arch-rivals are renowned for their contrasting styles of play, with New Zealand stereotypically the swashbuckling outfit and the Boks having the heavy artillery up front.

South Africa will very much look to exert pressure in the set-piece this weekend, while the All Blacks’ strength still comes behind the scrum.

Ian Foster’s men will seek to utilise their talented backline to open up the outstanding Bok defence, and Kirwan is hoping the World Cup final referee plays his role in that.

Referee’s impact

“I think the most important person in this contest is an Englishman called Wayne Barnes,” he told The Breakdown. “We cannot have a stop-start (game); we cannot have water drinks coming on at every scrum.

“We’ve got to speed the game up because that’s how we’re going to beat them. For me, it’s critical the referee lets the game flow a little bit because South Africa will be trying to slow it down.”

South Africa’s semi-final contest against England was very much a war of attrition, but the weather and their opponents’ style played a large part in that.

There is no doubt that the Springboks still put their emphasis on their forward power, but they have looked to expand their game over recent years.

Manie Libbok, who is both a running and passing threat, has been the preferred by fly-half, while Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse are an exciting duo on the wing.