South Africa 18-20 New Zealand: Jerome Kaino and Beauden Barrett tries see All Blacks reach Rugby World Cup 2015 final

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New Zealand will defend their World Cup crown at Twickenham next Saturday following a hard-fought semi-final victory against a superb Springboks outfit.

Four Handre Pollard penalties established a 12-7 half-time lead for the Boks with a classy Jerome Kaino try keeping the All Blacks in the hunt.

Steve Hansen’s side made a stunning start to the second-half with a Dan Carter drop-goal and well-taken try from substitute Beauden Barrett swinging the momentum. 

New Zealand players celebrate at the full-time whistle as they defeated South Africa 20-18 in Saturday's Rugby World Cup semi-final

The All Blacks will now face either Australia or Argentina in the Twickenham showpiece on October 31

Dan Carter (right) celebrates with Sam Cane after kicking 10 points as the defending champions secured a place in this year's final

Carter and Pollard swapped further penalties with substitute Pat Lambie’s late penalty effort setting up a grandstand finish.

With just two points in the contest, New Zealand showed all their class to close out a titanic tussle in south-west London.

The Boks came firing out of the blocks with exciting young centre Jesse Kriel making an early bust in midfield, with the All Blacks snaffling a turnover before Carter uncharacteristically kicked out on the full.

From the ensuing lineout, the Boks set up a trademark driving maul with the men in black penalised for coming in from the side. Pollard confidently stroked over the first points of the game from the kicking tee to secure an early 3-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the All Blacks to strike back, however, as Kaino shrugged off the challenge of Lood de Jager to crash over the corner following a sublime pass from McCaw in the build-up. Carter fired over the touchline conversion to make it 7-3.

Pollard kept the Boks in the hunt with a 10th minute three-pointer.

Handre Pollard kicks South Africa into an early 3-0 lead with a penalty from wide on the left-hand side around 25 metres out

Despite going behind early, New Zealand responded in their best possible way when Jerome Kaino (left) scored a try

The towering flanker dived over into the corner on five minutes to put the All Blacks 5-3 ahead at Twickenham

Kaino (centre left) is congratulated by his team-mates as New Zealand recover from Pollard's early penalty

Carter added the extras with a conversion to put the All Blacks 7-3 ahead within the opening stages of the first half

South Africa fly-half Pollard reduced their deficit to a point with a 30m penalty in a barnstorming encounter at Twickenham

The 21-year-old's metronome kicking continued as he made New Zealand's ill-discipline pay to put them 9-7 ahead

The same couldn't be said for Carter who missed this relatively simple kick - with his effort rebounding off the post

The pace and ferocity of the contest was something to behold with no quarter being given in the tight exchanges. Pollard’s towering high-kick was wonderfully fielded by Habana putting the All Blacks under all kinds of pressure. Le Roux’s searching kick ran just too far for the onrushing JP Pietersen but it mattered little as referee Jerome Garces was playing the advantage, with Pollard firing over his third successful penalty of the evening.

New Zealand continued to dominate territory and possession but Heyneke Meyer’s side were showing great shape and aggression in defence forcing Carter and Nonu to probe kicks in behind on a number of occasions.

Nonu, Kaino and the outstanding Brodie Retallick were leading the charge but the Boks were edging a violent battle at the breakdown.

The pressure eventually told with a shoulder charge from the otherwise superb Burger on Nonu handing Carter his first penalty attempt of the match but the veteran No 10’s attempt came rebounding off the posts. 

The sizeable Springboks support rose to their feet in the 34th minute when Pietersen intercepted Nonu’s wayward pass , but Garces was playing an All Blacks advantage and called back the racing winger back leading to a chorus of boos from the stands. 

Things went from bad to worse for the defending Rugby World Cup champions when Kaino was sin binned

The All Blacks' No 6 jogs off the pitch as his team were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon

Kaino's ill-discipline gave Pollard another chance to extend the Springboks lead before half-time - which he did to make it 12-7

Very much on the back foot for the majority of the half, scrum-half Du Preez lifted the siege with a darting run off a rock-solid Springboks scrum and when Kaino, rather clumsily, interfered with play from an offside position, the blindside flanker was shown a yellow card for his careless indiscretion.

To compound matters, Pollard knocked over his fourth penalty to edge his side into a 12-7 half-time.

The next score was crucial, with Carter stepping up to land a fine drop goal early in the second-half.

Wave after wave of All Black attack eventually told with substitute Barrett, who had replaced Nehe Milner-Skudder in the 48th minute, gliding over in corner. Nonu’s superb goose step and pass sent Barrett over the in corner but that proved to be the iconic centre’s final contribution as Sonny Bill Williams entered the fray. Carter made no mistake with the touchline conversion as the Kiwis raced into a 17-12 lead. 

After the interval, the All Blacks drew first blood through a magnificent quickly-taken Carter (centre) drop goal

New Zealand's momentum was evident as replacement Beauden Barrett (right) dives over to score in the corner for their second try

The replacement back (left) celebrates as his score puts the All Blacks 17-12 ahead in the second half

The 24-year-old (centre) is jumped upon by team-mate and hooker Dane Coles after his well-worked try

After missing with his previous kick, Carter makes no mistake this time with a superlative conversion out on the left-hand touchline

Things went from bad to worse for the Boks with Habana dispatched to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on the lead up to Barrett’s touchdown. 

A stunned Boks outfit went back to basics with a powerful scrum yielding a 57th minute for Pollard, with the 21-year-old fly-half cutting the lead to two points.

Eben Etzebeth undid all of Pollard’s good work as the giant lock went off his feet allowing Carter to increase his side’s lead to 20-15.

Polland left the fray in the 64th minute to a rapturous reception. His replacement Lambie showed nerves of steel to land a 68th penalty to make it a two-point contest once more.

South Africa's cause to get back into the match wasn't helped when they lost wing Bryan Habana to the sin bin

The 32-year-old cuts a crestfallen figure on the bench after being yellow carded for cynically knocking the ball from Aaron Smith

However with a man less, South Africa reduced the scoreline to two points after Pollard kicked his fifth penalty of the match

Carter restored the All Blacks' five-point lead just two minutes later with his first penalty of the night

Pat Lambie replaced Pollard in the latter stages of the second half and kicked a penalty to make it 18-20 but New Zealand held on to win

As the heavens opened up above a heaving Twickenham, substitute Sam Cane’s knock-on put his side under all kinds of pressure forcing a back-tracking Carter to kick the ball dead with a ravenous Boks defensive line haring down on him. The Boks could not capitalise, however, as the Boks coughed up the ball at the ensuing lineout maul.

Sam Whitelock rose above replacement lock Victor Matfield to win a crucial lineout late on with the contest perched on a knife-edge.

The final stages was a tension-field affair resulting in a fascinating aerial and territorial battle with just one score separating these two superb sides.

Marshalled by their ice-cool half-backs Smith and Carter, the world’s best side showed all their class to secure their place in next Saturday’s finale.

South Africa's players are given a guard of honour by their New Zealand counterparts as they exit at the semi-final stage