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England's 'in awe of the physicality they brought' Springboks verdict
By Liam Heagney
Kevin Sinfield has warned England not to be too fixated on the threat posed by star Springboks players in next Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final.
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Having travelled by train on Monday from Marseille following their quarter-final win over Fiji, Steve Borthwick’s team got down to work on the training ground in the French capital ahead of a last-four clash featuring the two teams that contested the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama.
South Africa were 32-12 winners that November day four years ago and with them now coming into this rematch with England on the back of last Sunday’s defeat of the host nation France, there is a lot of hype about the enormous challenge they will pose the English.
Cheslin Kolbe, for instance, was one of their star performers at Stade de France but asked about the danger of the South African winger, Sinfield cautioned that England instead needed to focus on the opposition as a collective.
“The back three, whoever they pick, have got some real gas and pace,” he said on Tuesday evening after England wrapped up their first day of training ahead of the semi-final.
“For us this week it is important to get the balance right between understanding what South Africa do, how they play but also some of our strengths as well.
“It would be quite easy for us to be completely blown away by how good they are so there will be some individuals we will prepare for. We won’t be sharing that with you guys [the media].
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“They are a very well-drilled outfit and if we spend a lot of time focusing in on one player, someone else will burn us and get us so we understand they are a very good unit and we need to be defensively too.”
England head into the semi-finals with the best tackle success rate of all four teams – 86 per cent – but defence coach Sinfield reckoned this will need to be better if they are to dethrone the reigning champion. “I didn’t know that stat, I’d like it to be higher. I want us to keep improving,” he said.
“If we are going get near South Africa at the weekend that number needs to be massively increased I would suggest. The last couple of weeks we faced two teams that wanted to throw the ball about.
“We knew Fiji would have a purple patch where they would cause us problems. We prepared for a spell where we would be under the cosh, and in the end although it got very tense towards those last few minutes.
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“It was probably another challenge for this group to have to face to have a big lead and then have it chopped down and to be able to find a way to win.
“We are coming up against a team that has probably got the best defence in the world at the minute. South Africa have been together a long time, they are really well drilled. It’s an aggressive defence and we look forward to coming up against them at the weekend.”
NO LONGER UNDER THE RADAR: The media pack following England ramped up on Tuesday, with vision access in Paris featuring a football match in which Steve Borthwick even had a kick. #ENGvRSA #RWC2023 #EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/HnGhqcHM4H
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2023
Another stat – that South Africa have kicked the ball away the least compared to their style in the last World Cup; just 21.6 kicks per game and just 51 per cent of possession kicked away – was also put to Sinfield. “They have added to the game,” he suggested.
“When you look at the line-up and some of the stars; I have been fortunate to work with a couple of them back at Leicester. You look across that backline and they can hurt you in a whole host of ways.
“They are a run threat, they are a kick threat, they have got an incredible set-piece, they have got unbelievable defence, do you want me to keep going? We know what we’re up against this week but really excited by the challenge.
“They are a top team. We saw the game on Sunday evening, we are in awe of the physicality that they brought. France certainly turned up too and it was a great showcase for what rugby is about.
“We knew whoever we met at this point it would be a tough challenge with the draw, it was either the hosts or the current holders and we have the utmost respect for them.
“They are a nation that plays the best rugby and plays some great rugby and they know what they are about and they don’t shy away from it and we look forward to the test.”
England had a number of players – including Marcus Smith – only doing modified training on Tuesday, a situation that didn’t worry Sinfield.
“We had a couple of unmodified warm-ups today but we are very hopeful we will have all 33 available. He [Smith] is good. He is one of those who have been modified, so we will get a clearer view later in the week so fingers crossed he will be good to go.
“It’s normal. It’s the first day we have run since the game (versus Fiji). Some of them are the best footballers, so it was best that they stayed out of the session at the start. Some are a bit older as well so we have to be a bit smarter to get them ready to train, but it’s normal for us.”
- Click here for the complete statistical review of the four Rugby World Cup semi-final teams
I don’t rate our chances much. Boks looked like they were getting it together towards the end of the Rugby Championship and have just improved even further since then.
Given that some more hyperbolic commentators were saying we wouldn’t even make it out of the group, it’s a decent run.
I just hope for a great game. And who knows in knockout rugby? It’s a one-off game - you never know.
Not likely, but stranger things have happened.
If it’s even possible. This game could be bigger yet than NZ IRE and SA FRN.
This should be the starting team: Steward, Marchant, Tuilagi, Farrell, Arundell, Ford, Care, Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Lawes, Curry, Earl, Vunipola
Honestly if England keep it within three scores that's a respectable result.