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

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It had been said that New Zealand had not been tested in this World Cup. On Saturday, in the driving rain at Twickenham, they got their test. In a brutal, unyielding, shuddering collision, the All Blacks held off their great rivals to win by the most slender of margins and advance to the final.

Trailing by two points as the clock moved past 79 minutes, South Africa had one last possession to try to work the ball from one end of the pitch to the other and force the score that would complete their turnaround after the seismic shock of losing to Japan in Brighton five weeks ago.

They tried desperately to gain ground but New Zealand would not yield. The Springboks had only made a few yards when the whistle blew for an infringement against them. Players from both sides collapsed on to the sodden ground with a mixture of relief, despair and sheer exhaustion. 

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

This was a titanic physical struggle that made New Zealand look vulnerable for the first time in this tournament and there were times when it seemed that the team touted as the best the world has ever seen looked in grave danger of collapsing to a shock defeat. The ghosts of their loss to France here 16 years ago began to hover around them.

South Africa mounted an inspired defence which was enough to prevent try scoring machine Julian Savea grabbing what would have been a record-breaking ninth try in this tournament. Savea has still never scored against the Springboks but the All Blacks proved again that they can mix it up front as well as destroying teams with running rugby.

They will meet either Australia or Argentina at Twickenham next Saturday, bidding to become the first team to retain the Rugby World Cup and live up to the extravagant billing that has accompanied them to this tournament. 

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen had warned before the game that South Africa would be intending to ‘rip our heads off’ as they tried to upset the odds. It would be brutal, everyone warned. Richie McCaw talked about the scars he had suffered against the Springboks down the years. He said he was expecting to earn some more.

Amid the anticipation of physicality, there was also excitement about great skill and daring. In particular, the game held out the prospect of anointing Bryan Habana as the greatest try scorer in World Cup history and crowning Savea as the first man to score more than eight tries in a single version of the tournament.

As the teams warmed up, former New Zealand lock Brad Thorn stood by the side of the Twickenham pitch and tried to give any neutrals in the crowd an idea of what the fixture means. 

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

‘When you grow up in New Zealand,’ Thorn said, ‘the first thing you know is that you want to be an All Black, the second thing you know is that the Springboks are the enemy.’ South Africa started more brightly. Jesse Kriel made a break through the middle before he was taken down and Handre Pollard kicked an early penalty. But New Zealand did not allow the Springboks to lead for long. An improvised pass from McCaw looped over to Jerome Kaino who brushed off a tackle to touch down in the corner.

Dan Carter kicked a majestic conversion from wide out on the right touchline. It was his second attempt after Habana had illustrated South Africa’s eagerness by sprinting out early from the line before Carter had even started his run-up the first time.

By midway through the half, the Springboks were back in the lead. They targeted Nehe Milner-Skudder under the high ball and the All Blacks began to lose their discipline. They conceded a series of penalties and from two of them, Pollard kicked South Africa 9-7 ahead. 

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

South Africa’s defence was redoubtable as the All Blacks charged at them in wave after wave. When New Zealand did get a chance to go back into the lead eight minutes before half time, Carter wasted the opportunity, his penalty bouncing back off the right-hand post.

When Kaino was shown a yellow card a minute before the interval and the metronomic Pollard kicked another penalty, the All Blacks found themselves 12-7 down and all their certainties started to ebb away into the dank Twickenham night.

In the second half, the heavy rain that had been predicted began to fall. Even that seemed as if it might favour the South Africans, hampering New Zealand’s handling as they tried to run the ball. Carter defied that expectation, though, dragging the All Blacks back into the game with a drop goal five minutes after the break.

When Kaino came back on, the All Blacks’ pressure intensified and this time, South Africa could not withstand it. Carter moved the ball swiftly from right to left and fed Ma’a Nonu who ran for the corner and passed for replacement Beauden Barrett to score. Carter kicked the conversion, Habana was sent to the sin-bin and suddenly New Zealand had a 17-12 lead and a man advantage. 

Even though Pollard kicked a penalty to reduce the deficit, the sense of vulnerability that had surrounded the All Blacks began to fade. Carter restored the five-point advantage less than a minute later but New Zealand could not get away from their opponents. South Africa hung in there grimly and when the All Blacks conceded yet another penalty 10 minutes from the end, replacement Patrick Lambie kicked the Springboks back to within two points of their opponents.

The rain was falling in thick sheets now and the South African supporters, who made up the majority of the crowd, cranked up the atmosphere. But the All Blacks refused to back down. They dominated possession in the closing stages and saw the game out. The team that plays beautiful rugby had just won ugly.

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

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

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