The appetiser before the delectable main course of the 2015 Rugby World Cup comes in the shape of South Africa vs Argentina – the bronze final.
South Africa and Argentina could not quite get over the line in their respective semifinals, and, their reward for failing to do so, is playing in the match that seems pretty pointless in every tournament, regardless of the sport.
However, the Springboks will take this third-place playoff at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on Friday seriously, owing to the fact that it will be their legend Victor Matfield's last game in a South Africa shirt.
Matfield will lead out the Springboks against the Pumas on Friday, and coach Heyneke Meyer expects the veteran to put in another stellar performance in what will be his final international match.
"Victor has been an awesome, awesome player and you look at the influence he had in France (in the 2007 RWC)," Meyer said. "People always look at the failures and why he came back.
"I think you should applaud him for coming back and being captain in his last match.
"The temptation was there to have some fresh players, but when you are playing for the Springboks and putting the Springbok jersey on you are still representing your country and representing their hopes and dreams.
"It is such a short turnaround and making changes wasn't the right thing."
The positive thing about a bronze final, though, is that the pressure is off – the final opportunity is gone, and as a result, both teams can play attacking, flowing rugby without putting the handbrake on.
That has led to some outstanding third-place playoff matches in the recent past, and there is nothing to stop South Africa vs Argentina from being another one of those either.
"The biggest challenge now is to finish on a high note and get the third place," Argentina fly-half Nicolas Sanchez, who is the leading scorer in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, said. "We've got a mentally very tough game ahead.
"This week probably won't be as pleasant as this past one, but we'll make a great effort to get the bronze medal."
Where to Watch Live
South Africa vs Argentina is set to begin at 8 pm GMT (1.30 am IST, 10 pm SAST, 5 pm Arg). The RWC bronze final will be shown live on TV in India on Sony Six.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup third-place playoff will be shown live in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa on SuperSport, while the live stream option is on SuperSport Live Video.
Sky Sport will show the Argentina vs South Africa match live in New Zealand, while the action can also be watched via live streaming on Sky Go NZ. Audience in Australia can watch the action live on Fox Sports 2, with the live stream option on Foxtel Play.
ITV1 will broadcast the game live in the UK, with the live stream option on ITV Player. Canal+ will broadcast the quarterfinal live on TV in France, while the action can also be live streamed on TFI.
Audience in the USA can watch the rugby World Cup game live on Universal Sports, while the game can also be live streamed on Universal Sports Online. Viewers in Canada can watch the action live on TSN, while the action can also be live streamed on TSN TV.
