THE two best teams in the world going head to head in the biggest game in the world. Who could ask for more? The nature of the draw for the Rugby World Cup prevents such an occurrence more often than not, but we’ve got it today when the holders, New Zealand, take on Australia in the final.

Those two countries generally only have to cross the Tasman Sea to resume their longstanding rivalry, and have never met at this stage of the competition before. So the 80,000 spectators who cram into Twickenham to watch the match have something unusual to look forward to even in terms of the fixture itself - and when the action starts it could turn out to be the most spectacular World Cup final yet.

Traditionally, the rivalry between New Zealand and South Africa is the greatest in the sport, but there is no denying that this year the Wallabies have emerged as the biggest threat to the All Blacks’ domination. They go into the game as underdogs, having displayed some substantial weaknesses against Scotland in the quarter-finals then Argentina in the last four. But they were also responsible for the best defending of the tournament, when they denied Wales a try with two men in the sinbin, and if they can reproduce that strength while eliminating their errors, they have a real chance of upsetting the odds.

New Zealand have a substantial lead in the history of the fixture, having won 105 matches to Australia’s 42 since the nations first met in 1903. More relevantly, they have been dominant in recent years too, and won the last game as recently as August.

Australia can counter by saying that their 41-13 defeat was just a World Cup warm-up, and pointing out that the match a week before was more significant: a 27-19 win which gave them a clean sweep in the truncated Rugby Championship. It is a result that provides reassurance, reminding them that they have what it takes to beat the All Blacks, although Michael Cheika, the Wallabies’ head coach, will not read too much either into it or into anything else that has gone before.

“They say if you look backwards you’re only going to get a sore neck,” he said yesterday when asked the significance of that victory. “It really means nothing. It’s what happens in the last part of our preparation and then in the 80 minutes. You see where you are and then see how the cards fall.”

Australia are probably a couple of years behind New Zealand in terms of the development of this particular group of individuals, as was also the case the last time they were in the final, when they lost to England on home soil back in 2003. The English team then were a year or so past their best, but had enough experience to find a way of winning. The All Blacks, too, have peaked, and several of their key players, including captain Richie McCaw and stand-off Dan Carter, will acknowledge as much by confirming their retirement after the game.

But being more experienced is no guarantee of victory. And being a less mature side in no way condemns you to defeat.

Indeed, the very fact that Australia still have a lot of room for improvement in their overall performance should be a source of inspiration for them this afternoon. This particular All Blacks side may well have one big performance left in them, but it is hard to see them hitting new heights. The Wallabies, by contrast, should keep getting better for a couple of years at least.

So where will the game be decided? The key men for Australia are Michael Hooper and David Pocock, the two natural openside flankers. But New Zealand coach Steve Hansen, while acknowledging the fine form those two have been in, holds with the long-held convention that if the men up front get the edge on their opposite numbers, all the pieces fall into place.

“They’ve been impressive all year, really, the same as ours has,” he said. “So it should be a great contest. But back rows can only operate if your front five do the job.

“Rugby hasn’t changed for as long as most of us have been breathing. The game’s won up in the tight five, and if we go forward, your loosies go forward and your backs go forward. So whoever does that tomorrow will probably have the easier ride.”

Even so, at his best, Pocock in particular can use his speed and strength at the breakdown to annul any advantage the opposing tight forwards may have gained. And turnover ball, when won against a team that has committed completely to going on the offensive, can produce some devastating counter-attacks.

It is often the case that the bigger the match, the cagier the affair. But, while Australia in particular will want to be more solid in defence than they were in the last two rounds, neither side has it in them to be over-cautious.

“You’ve got two sides that are likeminded - they want to play footy,” Hansen added. “The pressure will be on both teams, there’s no doubt about that, but I don’t think that will inhibit either one of them. Time has shown us that the Australian team will play to their strengths, and we always seem to play to ours, so given the conditions are okay I think we’ll see some running rugby.”

It should still be a close contest, and running rugby does not guarantee tries. Whoever comes out on top, you can only hope that the destination of the Webb Ellis Cup is determined not by a debatable refereeing decision, but by an individual act of brilliance.