South Africans behind Springboks and Proteas this ‘Super Saturday’

Just two weeks short of four years ago, Siya Kolisi’s Springboks entered the International Stadium Yokohama in Japan as underdogs for the Rugby World Cup final against England.

They weren’t the favourites to win on that day because they had stuttered and spluttered through the tournament, including in the semifinal against Wales.

In contrast, England were on top of the world, having blown powerhouses New Zealand away in the semifinals.

The result of the final? The Springboks probably played the game of their lives as they went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a third time, smashing England 32- 12 and picking up an entire nation as a result.

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Fast forward four years and the same teams square off in Paris tonight, with a place in next week’s final at stake.

Many would argue the roles are now reversed and the Springboks should enter the knockout match as favourites, having beaten the much-vaunted French hosts in the quarterfinal last week and navigated their way through a much tougher path to the last four.

England, though, are the only unbeaten team remaining in the tournament and have gradually built up a head of steam under coach Steve Borthwick.

They’ve also got huge motivation to atone for that final loss in Yokohama four years ago. But in three World Cup matches at the Stade de France against the Boks in Paris, they’ve lost all three…

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Perhaps adding some fuel to the fire is that it’s England up against South Africa in a different World Cup, 7 000km away in India.

Temba Bavuma’s men will be hoping to put their Cricket World Cup campaign back on track after a shock defeat to the Netherlands midweek when they face England, also wounded from an unlikely loss to Afghanistan, in Wankhede today.

A loss for either side today makes a place in the semifinals all that much harder to secure.

So, it’s Super Saturday for South African sports fans. Go, Bokke and the Proteas. A nation stands behind you.

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