England will thrive on this pressure. Don’t forget this team have played in some pretty unfavourable places before. Stella Mills

What gives you the most confidence England will win?

The sheer amount of pressure on the team’s shoulders is something which cannot be understated. They are on a 30-match win streak and will be hosting the next Rugby World Cup in 2025. They say diamonds are made under pressure; I think we have only seen a glimmer of what England are capable of on the world stage so far.

In a Rugby World Cup final, both teams will have things in the locker that have not been seen before. They would have been practising tactics that have not seen the light of day in this tournament, you don’t reveal all of your cards in the early stages, that’s part of the jeopardy we are going to see this weekend.

Which England player, or players, need to really fire to ensure victory?

As we saw in the semifinal, Abby Dow is a crucial element to this team’s finishing capacity, she has pace like no one else and after coming back from a nasty leg break in the Six Nations will be ready to prove herself.

Also we can’t discount Sarah Hunter’s leadership and the difference that she makes to the team. There is a reason she has just become England’s most capped international – the experience she brings is invaluable.

Eden Park, full house, is that a key advantage for the Black Ferns or will the pressure and expectation on the hosts actually help England?

England will thrive on this pressure. Don’t forget this team have played in some pretty unfavourable places before – during the Six Nations I remember hearing that they had been booed off during their warm-up against France, never mind during the actual match. An adverse crowd will only help them along.

In the same breath, I do think a home crowd for the Black Ferns will lift them. We know how much the fans mean to this team, they have based their whole campaign around them – a home advantage at a sellout Eden Park will be something special.

What’s the biggest area of vulnerability in the Black Ferns and how can England exploit it?

The Black Ferns team we are seeing now is a completely different outfit from the one we saw face England last year. That being said, you cannot escape the sheer strength of England’s pack.

It’s no secret that a fair amount of these matches have been won by England thanks to their powerful driving maul. We haven’t seen too much of the Black Ferns in this area, they play an electric, free-flowing style of rugby, so it is going to be very interesting to see these two different styles come together tonight.

OK – prediction time: what’s the winning margin and who has the final say to clinch it?

Judging by what we saw last weekend, we are in for a real treat and it will come down to the final minutes of the match. I had England pegged to win it at the start; however the Black Ferns seem to have improved week on week, to the point where I can say I honestly don’t know who will win this final.

Too often in the women’s game we see foregone conclusions before kickoff, but this weekend we enter the true unknown in the women’s sporting world.