And now for England … but Boks have work to do, says Nienaber

A battered and bruised Springbok team have shifted their focus to their next major challenge, a Rugby World Cup semi-final clash against England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Saturday night.

The Boks were relieved to escape from an incredibly tough quarter-final encounter against hosts France with a tight 29-28 win on Sunday and they will be gunning for an improved showing against England in the semis.

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It is a replay of the 2019 World Cup final in Japan, where the Boks emerged 32-12 winners and it should be another straightforward win for the tournament defending champs.

Although they weren’t at their best against the French and had to weather a huge storm, particularly early in the second half before sneaking the result, England shouldn’t pose nearly as much of a threat.

Not as competitive

England are not as competitive as they were at the 2019 showpiece event and have yet to be seriously tested at this year’s World Cup, with them playing on a very weak side of the draw, as seen by them battling to a win against Fiji in their quarter-final.

But Bok coach Jacques Nienaber admitted after the match against France that they wouldn’t be letting their guards down and that he was expecting a close game, while claiming they had a lot to fix.

“The French in France, you look at their consistency, they’ve been a proper team building with good individuals. We knew it would be a proper Test match. All the other quarter-finals were won and lost in the last minutes of the game,” explained Nienaber.

“There are a lot of things where we got stuff wrong (against France). The quick tap (that led to Eben Etzebeth’s crucial second half try) we’ve been working on for some time and we’ve not had an opportunity to use it.

“So we have been working on things, but still there are a lot of things we weren’t awesome at. But that’s probably the pressure of a knockout game. There’s a lot of stuff we need to fix.”

Short turnaround

The Boks now face a short turnaround before their semi-final match-up and they will need to assess the players after what was a sore and draining encounter against France.

There could be a few changes made to the side for the match, with players such as Jasper Wiese, Andre Esterhuizen, Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden possibly in line for a recall.

“We have a short turnaround, only six days, so we will look at the squad. I know you guys look at the bench and it’s a squad of 23 players we pick to get a result on the day,” said Nienaber.

“The gap between our players is not big. We’re fortunate in that. When you’re not selected, you just need to slot into a different role.”

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