Stuart Hogg column: New Zealand’s wingers terrify me! They can make the difference in the World Cup final

Last week, Argentina were good; New Zealand were just incredible. They blew them away time and again. I thought that the All Blacks would turn over the French in the first game, and that would then give the hosts a kick up the backside and galvanise them. Whereas that is what has happened to New Zealand. They got thumped by South Africa a couple of weeks before the World Cup, then they were beaten by the French. They had two big defeats against two of the best teams in world rugby and everyone said they weren’t good enough any more. They’ve almost said, “we’ll show you.”

They are a very clever side, New Zealand. They’ll have analysed Argentina and the opportunities against them. You look at Will Jordan’s hat-trick try, an off-the-top-of-the-lineout to Ardie Savea. The tail of the lineout chase Savea, who drops it off on his inside and Jordan runs 90 metres to score a try with a lovely bit of individual brilliance.

They’ll have looked at opportunities all throughout the week. Looking at those opportunities is one thing; being able to execute them under pressure is another. I thought they were clinical in everything they did.

I’m a big, big fan of New Zealand’s wingers. I think Jordan has the all-round ability to be an unbelievable rugby player. I was a bit nervous a few years ago – there were rumours he was Scottish and might be coming across to play full-back. Thankfully he stayed with the All Blacks.

The thing I enjoy most about him is his ability to come in at first or second receiver and execute under pressure. Very few wingers will pop up at first receiver and have the ability to stick other players into space. We always talk about a rugby player having the triple threat: run, pass, kick. Most wingers get the ball, run and cause chaos. But you never quite know with Jordan, because he’s got that triple threat.

On the other wing is Mark Tele’a. He made his debut against Scotland last year, and not too many people had heard of him. With his first touch in international rugby, he beat me in a phone box; with his second touch, he scored a try. I love everything he’s done since. The Kiwis have an abundance of talent. Somebody moves on and they bring somebody else in who is just as good, if not better. Tele’a has been incredible this World Cup.

We don’t know the ins and outs of the disciplinary issue that caused him to miss the quarter-final against Ireland, but he came back in and made a difference in the semi-final. If you’ve got these wingers, you’ve got to give them the ball. Jordan will come in and pop up at first receiver when needed. You’ll see Tele’a hanging around Aaron Smith at nine a lot, looking for little shoulder balls. He’s busy, and that’s what we love to see. The Kiwis have got the two best wingers at doing that.

South Africa and New Zealand are two teams with contrasting styles. South Africa are very much based around a power game; New Zealand want the ball up and playing. South Africa probably have the upper hand in terms of set piece, but New Zealand will understand their strengths. It should be absolutely incredible.

South Africa weren’t really dominant until it counted in their semi-final against England. They were staying in, staying as close as they could, and then “bang!” – they take the lead in the last few minutes.

Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber were making some bold decisions early on. They took fly half Manie Libbok off after half an hour. It seemed a very erratic decision. Libbok had been their talisman and their playmaker for the whole World Cup. Things hadn’t been going great, he had a couple of kicks go skew-whiff, but that is a massive, massive call.

But there was method in the madness. Handre Pollard comes on, steadies the ship and picks up man of the match, making the biggest kick of his season to take South Africa to victory.

I do wonder, though, what would have happened had Pollard been unable to play this weekend. How would Manie Libbok be feeling? He had the shepherd’s crook after half an hour in the biggest game of the season. Where would his head be at?

Libbok’s substitution wasn’t the only big call. South Africa took Siya Kolisi, their captain, off early in the second half, and Eben Etzebeth, another up-front destroyer, too. But it is almost like there is a pressure applied to the boys coming on to have an impact. They all did that and swayed the game. Rugby is a 23-man game nowadays, and South Africa maximise all 23 of their players.

When the “bomb squad” come on, they win penalties. They have six front rowers in the matchday 23 that live for scrums and they will destroy the opposition at every opportunity. Take that mark against France, when Damian Willemse called for a scrum – they won a penalty, kicked it 40 yards downfield and set up another launch play. That’s clever. They completely understand where their strengths lie and are backing that.

As a back, I’d love nothing more than to have a set-piece scrum and a launch play off the back of it. But it is very rare that the ball comes out cleanly and you have a platform. I want everyone to be running around and playing expansive rugby. But if you’ve got a strength at scrum time like South Africa, you’ve got to use it. Test rugby is won on fine margins – their semi-final was won with an outrageous kick from a scrum penalty.

I do think New Zealand will win the final, though. South Africa have had some big, big games during the World Cup and every single one has gone to the wire. New Zealand have gone about their work quietly – I think they are going to pip it.

Why Ireland’s Bundee Aki is my player of the tournament

Bundee Aki was exceptional. He got Ireland on the front foot, he made line breaks for fun and beat boys all over the place, as well as destroying them defensively. I’m gutted that Ireland didn’t get further so we could see exactly what he was about at the proper business end of the campaign.

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Stuart Hogg’s World Cup team of the tournament

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1 Cyrill Baille (France)

2 Peato Mauvaka (France)

3 Trevor Nyakane (South Africa)

4 Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)

5 Ollie Chessum (England)

6 Courtney Lawes (England)

7 Charles Ollivon (France)

8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

9 Antoine Dupont (France)

10 Johnny Sexton (Ireland)

11 Damian Penaud (France)

12 Bundee Aki (Ireland)

13 Jesse Kriel (South Africa)

14 Will Jordan (New Zealand)

15 Hugo Keenan (Ireland)