This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
Published on October 30, 2019, the England team has been heavily influenced by Saracens, the English and European champions. Key players such as captain Owen Farrell, powerhouse lock Maro Itoje, and number eight Billy Vunipola have all come from the club.
Not only have Saracens supplied several key England players, but they have also played a pivotal role in the development of Springbok front-row Koch. Koch has been making a huge impact off the bench at this World Cup as part of South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus's tactical plan to ensure the team maintains the scrum dominance that is key to their game-plan.
"Moving to Saracens was quite a big decision for me," Koch told reporters at South Africa's hotel in Tokyo on Wednesday. "As a player I have grown quite a lot. They have worked on me to try and make the perfect player."
England dethroned reigning world champions New Zealand with a stunning 19-7 semi-final win, whereas the Springboks ground out a 19-16 victory over Wales in their last-four clash.
South Africa's forwards coach Matt Proudfoot acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, "We have played them (England) four times in the last 18 months and it is a draw. They were very efficient and very powerful against New Zealand, the trend-setters. We need to match that intensity."
Victory in Yokohama on Saturday would mean South Africa had won the World Cup for the third time after their 1995 triumph on home soil and a win over England in the 2007 final in Paris.
