How to Watch Rugby World Cup Final: England vs. South Africa TV Channel, Live Stream and Odds

A week is a long time in professional sports. Seven days ago, England was expected to become the latest addition in a list of illustrious victims New Zealand collected en route to a third Rugby World Cup final.

As it turned out, Eddie Jones' men didn't so much not follow the script, they completely ripped it to shreds and reserved a similar treatment for the All Blacks.

England dominated them in every aspect of the game and became the first team to beat New Zealand in a Rugby World Cup match in 12 years.

Fast forward a week and it is England who enters the sport's showpiece event as the overwhelming favorite over South Africa when the two teams meet in Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday (live at 5 a.m. ET on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold).

Jones has named an unchanged team from the one that defeated the All Blacks, with the only change on the bench being Ben Spencer replacing Willi Heinz.

England is the only Northern Hemisphere team to have ever lifted the World Cup, but its record in the final is patchy at best. England lost on home soil in 1991 against Australia, exacted revenge on the Wallabies in Australia 12 years later and then fell short against South Africa in 2007.

Jones insisted the tag of favorites did not add any pressure on his team and urged his players to make history and emulate the England team that triumphed in 2003.

"We will play with no fear," he said in his press conference.

"How fantastic is it for a young bunch of guys we have? It's the biggest sporting event on at that time. Saturday is the biggest sporting event in the world. [...] They can inspire a whole country now, they can inspire a sporting community. That's the opportunity they've got."

For the first time since June 2004, England arrives into a game as the No.1 ranked side in the world, which only adds to the feeling that last week's hunters will be hunted on Saturday.

Few teams relish the former role as much as the Springboks, who look to equal New Zealand's record haul of three Rugby World Cups.

Since Rassie Erasmus took over as head coach in 2018, South Africa has been restored as one of the most dominant sides in Test rugby.

Erasmus, however, warned the Springboks still have work to do.

"We do not suddenly think we are a force again because it is a process," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"Yes we have reached a World Cup final, which is great and we will do our utmost to win it and we think we are in with a good chance and will give it a real go against England, but the big challenge is to be consistent.

Whereas England have dazzled with some supremely slick attacking rugby at times, the Springboks have stuck to their guns—an enormous pack, a suffocating defense and the bruising style of rugby that is unlikely to win many neutrals over.

As history shows, however, South Africa has never paid any attention to the popular vote at the Rugby World Cup. The Springboks have made the final twice and won on both occasions, but without scoring a try in both of those games.

Erasmus, who will step down after the tournament, has named an unchanged side from the one that beat Wales in the semifinal, save for the return of winger Cheslin Kolbe.

Jones has urged his players to inspire a nation and Erasmus had a similar message for his team.

"We have challenges in our country but rugby can, for a few minutes or, when we win a few hours, days or months even, get people forgetting about their disagreements," he added.

"As we found when we won the World Cup in 1995 and 2007, you can fix a lot of things in that time. We need that and it gives us maximum motivation. We want to do it for our country."

Here's everything you need to know ahead of Saturday.

When and where is the game?

England takes on South Africa at the International Stadium in Yokohama on Saturday, November 2.

Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET).

TV coverage

The game will be live both on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold—a single match pass costs $29.99—and will be re-aired on NBC.

Live stream

Fans can follow the action in several ways. Live streams will be available via NBCSportsGold.com and NBC will broadcast the matches on desktop, mobile tablet and connected devices.

Live streams will also be available via Apple and Android devices, as well as Amazon Fire TV, Roku and fuboTV.

Series record

Saturday will be the 43rd meeting between England and South Africa. The Springboks hold the upper hand, winning on 25 occasions to England's 15.

England, however, has defeated South Africa in the two most recent meetings, including a 12-11 win in November last year.

The World Cup record is favorable to South Africa, who have won three of the four meetings against England in the history of the tournament. The Springboks prevailed 44-21 in the quarterfinal of the 1999 World Cup, before England avenged the loss with a 25-6 win in the pool stage in the 2003 World Cup.

Four years later, the two teams crossed path again in the group stage, with the Springboks routing England 36-0 and then defeating them in the World Cup final 15-6.

Odds

According to Oddschecker, England is a 1/2 favorite, while South Africa is a 2/1 underdog.

The over/under line in terms of total points is set at 36.5.