Parties have been planned, the meat for the braai has been bought, flags are waving, and Springbok T-shirts have been sold out, as Joburg gears up to support the Boks in their World Cup final in Paris on Saturday.

JOBURGERS have caught the green and gold bug; everyone in the office corridors has a splash of it; water cooler talk is about it; some have been walking, eating and living it since September.

The Rugby World Cup final is in Paris tomorrow night, when the Springboks take on England in what is expected to be a nailbiter. At stake in the 2007 International Rugby Board's Rugby World Cup, on Saturday, 20 October, is the coveted Webb Ellis Trophy. The game kicks off at 9pm South African time at the Stade de in France, in the French capital.

That it is taking place on the other side of the world has not dampened Joburg's spirit, and the City is setting up a fan park at Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown, where the SABC will broadcast the game on a big screen.

It is also laying on six buses to take people to and from the fan park from around the city. Entertainment before the game will get the party started and local vendors will be selling food and drink. Executive Mayor Amos Masondo will send Joburg's best wishes to the team at their hotel in Bercy.

And Bongi Mokaba, the director of events and marketing in the City, says that all City staff and councillors will wear green and gold.

Another party is being thrown for our boys in France at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. The action will be flighted on a big screen, and music will keep the momentum going before and after the game. Entrance is R300 per person.

The Alliance Française of Johannesburg will also broadcast the final, from 8.30pm, at its premises at 17 Lower Park Drive, Parkview. There will be a cash bar and snacks will be sold. For more information call 011 646 1169 or email culture. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

And on Tuesday, 23 October, City staff will join fans at OR Tambo International Airport to welcome the team back home.

Thando Nqabisa, a fan, says that "South African rugby has made us proud, so I am behind them 200 percent". Nqabisa says he will be working on the night, but "I am going to dress up and will ask my brother to record it for me".

He thinks the Bokke will win because "they haven't let us down this far, so undoubtedly they will finish where they started".

Another die-hard fan, Desirèe Paton, will be watching the game with her friends at their house. "It will be very exciting and of course there will be a wonderful atmosphere … [The Boks] have come so far, and in my opinion they are a strong team with a lot of experience, and I think they deserve the victory after all their hard work."

She says rugby is a South African trademark, "which we all watch with passion. I don't think the rest of the world can appreciate rugby like South Africans do."

While he will not be travelling to France to don the Bok jersey, which he did when we won the 1995 World Cup on homeground, Nelson Mandela has pledged his support. His message to the team will be aired before the game on DVD and he will be there in spirit.

But President Thabo Mbeki and scores of other rugby supporters are expected to be in Paris on match day. The Springboks will face England for the fourth time in a Rugby World Cup and, while the Boks have recorded some impressive wins, both countries will be aiming for a second World Cup title.

Fans can SMS their messages of support to 33841 or log on to the Back the Boks website to post a message. SMS messages cost R1,50.

An email is also doing the rounds urging South Africans to rally behind the Boks and to wear green and gold on Friday and Saturday. It quotes Francois Pienaar, the captain of the team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup at Ellis Park: "This is a patriotic appeal to Springbok supporters and proud South Africans all over the world.

"Let us show the world that we stand as one – 100 percent behind the men in green and gold. Wear your colours not with arrogant pride but with a sense of unity and how far our nation has come."

Watch out England, hier kom die Bokke!