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Photo Credit: Benoit Tessier / Reuters

South Africa produced a magnificent defensive display to edge 14-man New Zealand 12-11 in a compelling arm-wrestle of a Rugby World Cup final and win the Webb Ellis Cup for a record fourth time.

Only a single yellow card had been shown in nine previous World Cup finals, but the crackdown on foul play in the game led to four being handed out over 80 minutes of intense rugby played out in front of a crowd of 80,065 at the Stade de France on Saturday.

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Photo Credit: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

Rugby World Cup fever is building in New Zealand with a former All Blacks captain predicting a "cracking" final against South Africa in Paris this weekend while tickets are being snapped up for a stadium screening at the country's home of rugby, Eden Park.

The All Blacks face the Springboks at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday with both sides bidding to become the first nation to win the World Cup for a fourth time.

Under head coach Ian Foster, New Zealand made a rocky start to the tournament with a defeat to France but eventually earned a place in the final with a hard-fought win over top-ranked Ireland in the knockout stages before routing Argentina.

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