Although they will not be facing up opposite each other tomorrow - a big defensive effort being asked of Nehe Milner-Skudder and JP Pietersen respectively - the production of the two wingers could be crucial to deciding who wins tomorrow's semifinal.
A head-to-head comparision and detailed breakdown can give a glimpse into who is more likely to make the game-winning impact at Twickenham.
Try Scoring
If you want remarkable consistency over a long period of time, Habana is your man. If you prefer record-setting dominance, Savea takes the nod. If you want speed, take Habana. If you want power, pick Savea.
Comparisons are similarly impossible in Super Rugby, where Habana's 56 tries in 118 games at a .47 per game ratio edges out Savea's 32 in 72 games, at a .44 ratio.
Similarly, since Savea made his Rugby Championship debut in 2011, he has crossed nine times in 16 games (.56 tries per game), while Habana has scored 12 times in 21 contests (.57 tries per game)
It's almost as close as you can get, but if you had to bet on someone to score a try right now, it would be Savea. That form (and the All Blacks scoring more tries on average than the Boks) gives him the slightest of edges.
The edge: Savea
Ball Carrying and Elusiveness
Savea has been a better ball carrier than Habana for years now, with his bulk and power providing a better path to beating defenders than Habana's pure pace.
In Rugby Championship games since his debut, Savea averages 8.1 metres per carry, with 1.5 clean breaks and 3.2 defenders beaten per game. Habana? 7.5 metres per carry, with 0.9 clean breaks and 1.7 defenders beaten per game.
The edge: Savea
Passing/Kicking
Passing isn't the first thing that springs to mind when evaluating Savea's game, but he's a willing and able passer, like every All Black seems to be. He averages 4.7 passes per game in the Rugby Championship compared to Habana's 1.4, and is also good for an offload per game, while Habana has offloaded just twice in his last 20 Rugby Championship clashes.
Habana is the better kicker, especially considering how his pace allows him to make high bombs into dangerous kick and chase opportunities, but Savea's deft hands gives him the edge yet again.
The edge: Savea
Defence
For his size, Habana fares well defensively, having made all of his 18 tackles at the World Cup so far. He's been far more involved defensively than Savea, who has been asked to attempt just eight tackles, making six of them.
The bigger sample backs this up - although Savea (80.6% tackle success) just beats out Habana (77.9%) in the Rugby Championship, the 2012 and 2013 Super Rugby seasons (where Savea overlapped with Habana) have Habana making 127 of his 145 tackles (87.5%), compared to Savea's 67/95 (70.5%).
Additionally, Savea was one of the worst tacklers in Super Rugby this season.
Savea may be able to make the bigger, turnover-causing hits, but Habana is the safer and sounder option on the wing.
The edge: Habana
Form
Although Habana manged to tie Jonah Lomu's Rugby World Cup all-time try scoring record, Savea has undoubtedly had the stronger 2015 World Cup campaign thus far.
Savea's eight tries tied the World Cup record for tries in a tournament (held by, you guessed it, Habana and Lomu), and has made a phenomenal 15.7 metres per carry at the tournament so far, compared to Habana's still-impressive five tries and 10.8 metres per carry. Habana has been solid defensively, with the aforementioned 18 tackles and no missed tackles outperforming Savea's six made and two missed attempts, but the bus still takes this one.
The edge: Savea
Success v Opponent
It's been well noted that Savea has yet to score against the Springboks in his five games against them. Small sample? Sure. Fluke? Potentially.
However, Habana doesn't need those qualifiers, having crossed seven times against the All Blacks in his 22 games against them, first in 2005 in a game which saw Derren Witcombe, Kevin Senio and James Ryan in the All Blacks squad.
He hasn't crossed the line against the All Blacks since 2013, but at least he knows the feeling of doing so.
The edge: Habana
Although it wouldn't shock anyone to see Habana race away in space or get on the end of a wayward pass for an intercept try, Savea's remarkable tries-per-game ratio is undeniable, and makes him the big hope to make a game-changing impact in the semifinal tomorrow morning.
