South Africa, more sure than ever of its strength, faces on Saturday, during a semi-final of the 2023 World Cup which is a priori unbalanced, an England which has been unconvincing so far but which hopes to sublimate itself to take its revenge for the final lost four years ago. For the Springboks, full of confidence after having dismissed the French host in the quarterfinals (29-28), the road to a fourth title – after those of 1995, 2007 and 2019 – therefore passes through the XV de la Rose, at the Stade from France (9:00 p.m.).
Towards a historic final?
If the sporting logic of the moment is respected, the matter is settled: New Zealand will have beaten Argentina the day before and the South Africans will face the All Blacks to find out which of these two great rugby nations will win a fourth star, a record. On paper, the teammates of Siya Kolisi, the first black captain in the history of the Boks, must in fact make short work of this uninspired XV de la Rose, qualified sluggishly for the last four thanks to ‘an easy picture and a little luck, like their breathless victory in the quarter against Fiji (30-24).
But the English are never as strong as when their backs are against the wall… and the South Africans know it very well. “We approach this match like any team would approach a half. The four teams still have two big matches to play to lift the trophy. It’s enough to motivate us,” said second row Eben Etzebeth, executioner of the Blues Sunday. “We know that they will be waiting for us with the fight and the aggression. They will be there on Saturday but so will we,” continued the former Toulonnais.
The English still alive
A few months after the arrival of Steve Borthwick on the bench, replacing the Australian Eddie Jones, the XV de la Rose has also found some color. “They have a whole new staff and I think Steve has implemented a different playing model than Eddie. Like anything, it takes time to get used to it. But the more time they spend together, the more they are comfortable,” said South African coach Jacques Nienaber.
If we stick to statistics alone, the English, first in their group, are the only team still undefeated. Their recipe? A return to basics relying on experienced players (Farrell, Curry, May, Tuilagi…), a newfound discipline (less than eight penalties conceded per match on average) and a preponderant kicking game, in order to compensate for a lack of offensive ambition. “The South Africans are not world champions by chance. The best way to show them respect is to give it your all,” commented flanker Ben Earl. For second row Maro Itoje, the Boks “are not invincible”. Above all, “it’s not just another match, it’s a special match, a rare occasion,” he noted.
“A new challenge”
In English minds remains engraved the final of the 2019 edition in Japan, during which South Africa clearly dominated the XV de la Rose (32-12) in the final by imposing its law, that of the big arms. Even if England captain Owen Farrell wants to believe that “Yokohama was a long time ago”, it “is a new opportunity, a new challenge”. “We are aware of the challenge that awaits us,” he added. Four years later, the Boks retained their direct and frontal style, and it got the better of French dreams.
Buoyed by a brazen conquest, the South Africans renewed the group of 23 players who defeated the Blues, with a Manie Libbok-Cobus Reinach hinge and a terrifying pack including Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit or Bongi Mbonambi. The Boks coach refuses to look back. “We are not too interested in past matches: we saw it in 2019, any team can win if they are in good shape on the day,” said Nienaber.