What they said: Bok players’ reaction to 16-15 nail-biter against England

The Springboks will take on the All Blacks in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final after edging England 16-15 in their last-four game in Paris on Saturday night.

Twenty-four hours earlier, the All Blacks beat Argentina 44-6 to advance to the final, which kicks off at 9pm.

In their match at a packed Stade de France, the Boks came back from being 15-6 down to win a thriller for the second week in a row, after they beat hosts France 29-28 in the quarter-finals the week before.

This is what some of the Bok players had to say about their so-called smash-and-grab win against England.

Cobus Reinach about the England game-plan:

“It was kind of a perfect storm with the weather turning up for them (England). They are a team that kicks probably the most in world rugby, playing a suffocating type of game and tonight (Saturday) it was a game for that. They executed their plan perfectly, so hats off to them, they really came out firing.

“And I can say well done to our team (Boks) for finding solutions and finding a way to win … the ball wasn’t bouncing our way.”

Steven Kitshoff on the impact of the bench:

“England had a specific gameplan and they stuck to it and they executed it very well, put us under a lot of pressure and we struggled to get the high balls back.

“We were fortunate with our bench and what the bomb squad did in the second half to win those penalties to give us some great territory to go on and win the game.

“But, there’s a lot of homework to be done on the All Blacks and there are a lot of things we need to fix in our game.”

Cheslin Kolbe on hanging tough:

“The England team came at us from the first whistle until the end, but great character from the boys for sticking in there – it could have gone either way. Well done to the English boys as well.

“We were always in it, but if we made one more mistake and they capitalised, it would have taken the game away from us. But we hung in there. Back down to earth, there’s a lot we can still work on.”

Manie Libbok on Boks’ turning it around:

“It was tough conditions. The ball was slippery.

“It is always a team effort. I am just stoked for what the guys did tonight. It was something special. I am just proud of the guys for sticking in there. I am stoked for the guys coming off the bench and lifting the tempo of the game.”