Victory's our destiny so forget it, England

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The South Africa coach admitted that he feared Jonny Wilkinson and England's highly-impressive front-row but insisted it was time for the Springboks to win back the Cup they first won in 1995.

"I've believed for a long time now that South Africa are going to win the World Cup," he said.

"There is a sense of destiny about this team because no other side in world rugby plays with the same pressure."

White is worried that the political situation in South Africa will force the break-up of his team even if they win in the Stade de France on Saturday night - a game that could be his last in charge.

He added: "After this tournament, massive political pressure is going to be exerted to pick a side based more on colour rather than merit. This is a huge unspoken motivation for them - to show that they deserve to keep their team."

The Boks will also receive more motivation from former president Nelson Mandela, who met the team when they arrived in France and has been invited to watch the final against England.

"Before the tournament [South Africa's president] Thabo Mbeki told us, 'Forget the politics and win it' - and that was a big statement," White said.

"When we got to France we were in the same hotel as Madiba [Nelson Mandela] and we gave him the captain's No2 jersey.

He said, 'Win it for the whole country,' and we remembered how he gave us that massive lift when we won in 1995."

White, who was linked with the England coach's job before the appointment of Brian Ashton last autumn, is still concerned by the threat posed by Wilkinson, who missed the Boks' 36-0 win in the pool stages four weeks ago.

"Whatever happened that night is irrelevant," he said today. "It's all about momentum and England have improved in every game since then and won four on the bounce. Their confidence is rocketing and they are a different proposition with Wilkinson. And everyone is talking up their pack."

But White told any expectant England fans that the pressure back home was equally intense: "People in South Africa are tired of the old images, of watching the plane fly over Ellis Park after we had beaten the All Blacks [in 1995] to become world champions. They're tired of the photos of Francois Pienaar holding the World Cup. It's time for some new stories. It's time for some new South African rugby heroes."