So the world champions - recently out of rehab - meet the team that drubbed them only a month ago to settle the biggest rugby argument for four years. It is enough to keep a conference of sports psychologists in business for a month.
Fortunately for England and South Africa the speculation can last only six days but it got off to a decent start last night when Jake White hinted that the Springbok team that beat Argentina 37-13 last night would be similar to the XV he intends to pick for the final, though according to White anything that has gone before is now irrelevant.
"After that 36-0 result I said 'let's not jump the gun' and they [England] have proved that they are a different team when they have Jonny Wilkinson at No10. That 36-0 is not going to hang around anyone's neck. We have played them five times and won the last four but Rugby World Cup finals are very different."
Since that most recent win over England South Africa had appeared to go off the boil, being shaken by Tonga and Fiji, but last night, thanks to the generosity of Argentina, they reacquired the habit of piling up a big score. There is still work to be done, though, especially in the scrum, where Argentina had the Springboks going backwards from the start. According to White, England will present similar problems, which accounts for his decision to stick with most of last night's squad.
"The team will be very similar to the one that played today because Argentina ask similar kinds of questions to England in the scrums and their driving play."
He said he would be turning to Eddie Jones, the 2003 Australia coach, for advice through the week. "Eddie Jones is one of the clever men of rugby," said White, not knowing that in another part of St Denis Jones was giving his own verdict on the night's performance. "We are going to have to work up front," said the coach who has been advising the Springboks. "World Cup finals are all up front and England have done well with their forwards."
However, there is a question mark over Os du Randt, the 35-year-old prop. He hobbled off after 72 minutes last night and had been in trouble for most of the game.
