Anyone expecting a feast of running rugby and a host of tries in today's World Rugby Classic final between South Africa and New Zealand might want to cast their minds back 12 months and think again.

The two teams met in the semi-finals last year and after bashing each other in a relentless 60 minutes of rugby, the only score was a Jackie Tarrant try that gave the All Blacks a 5-0 win.

Not that it won't be another epic encounter between two teams who have won the competition 12 times between them, but it is going to be close, and for Springboks coach Mark Wood it could all come down to one missed tackle.

"Normally in finals it's that one missed tackle that makes the difference," said Wood. "And getting to this stage with the old boys, the cross defence isn't as good, so if you break the line it's pretty much a done deal. It's going to be tight, the forwards will always be competitive but I think one line break could make all the difference.

"If you go back to last year when we played in the semi-final against the All Blacks we had one rush defence where they broke the line and that was the five-nil win they had. So once you get to finals it's all about that."

Of the two teams the Springboks have scored the most tries so far this week, ten compared to the Kiwis' four, although that was largely helped by the eight that they ran in against the US on Sunday.

The semi-final against the Lions was a much closer affair, and Wood said that the number of tries that each team had scored shouldn't be taken as an indication that either had a weakness out wide.

"It's going to be an epic encounter with the traditional rivals of South Africans, so I'm looking forward to it and the boys will rise to the occasion," he said.

"The Lions game was a very tough game, and it's just a little bit of a pity that the refereeing maybe added to it becoming a smash and bash kind of game. Both sides have got the ability (to score tries) as was proven in the first games, but in our game both teams opted for safety because they weren't sure what was going to happen and you had a lot of tries going abegging out wide.

"I think (Lions official) Allan Martin conceded to that, he said 'if someone had looked out wide the ball could have gone there', but the boys were really intense, and everyone wanted to win this tournament."

That intensity is no more than you might expect from a group of players who have performed at the highest level, and while the body may no longer be as willing as it once was, the brain is just as sharp as ever.

"I think it will be close, there are always emotions involved, everyone who has played for their country before will know what it's going to be like," said Wood. "The bodies might be old, but the brain still thinks you can play the same as you did in the professional arena.

"It depends how it goes, but I think some skills, one or two line breaks, and a missed tackle will make all the difference. I think from set phases it's not going to work, everyone is going to have be patient and do more phase play, and from there the gaps and opportunities will open up. But set-phase ball, the lineouts, scrums, etc are pretty much sorted because the guys no each other so well.

"With uncontested scrums, it makes a big difference because your not spending all you energy in that department. You're geared up for tackling and seeing where the runners are, so that second, third, fourth, fifth phase is where the gaps start opening up in the scramble defence, and that's where teams will be tested."

In the day's other games the US and Argentina will face off in the Plate final at 6.30 pm, while Bermuda Barbarians will open proceedings against Atlanta Renegade Old Boys at 5 pm. The Classic final is due to kick off at 8 pm.