England is the only team in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals with a perfect record. They won all five of their games and beat their opponents every time.
They haven’t lost yet, but that doesn’t mean they’re sure of winning.
England’s campaign has been moving slowly forward thanks to wins over Argentina, Japan, Chile, Samoa, and Fiji. Not every win has been impressive, but they have always been on the right side of the scoreline.
However, they have also been lucky with the draws.
When the silk rope drops on Saturday night, they run into the tournament’s big rollers.
Listen to Rugby Union Weekly talk about England’s hopes.
The reigning champions, South Africa, overthrew the hosts last weekend in their own version of a Parisian revolution. They have long been the model team for England coach Steve Borthwick’s team.
There is a lot of power and speed on the Springboks’ team, and their routines run along well-worn grooves. They can out-gas their opponents out wide or use diesel grunt to beat them up the middle.
Eddie Jones, the former coach, tried to give England more depth, but his plan failed in the end. After the last Rugby World Cup, where they lost badly to South Africa in the final, he wanted to build a team that could change strategies in the middle of a game.
Instead, the shift went badly, and it was the winners who were able to add to their repertoire.
That’s because of Jacques Nienaber, Rassie Erasmus, and Mzwandile Stick, who have worked together for a long time as a guiding brain trust. They have had more time than Borthwick, who was hired at the end of last year. They made good use of it.
Since Japan 2019, they have slowly improved their backline by bringing in playmakers like Manie Libbok and Damian Willemse and getting sevens expert Kurt-Lee Arendse up to the Test level.
The forwards’ use of impact subs that change the game in the front row has changed the way Test rugby is played. And while other people have talked about the idea of mixed players, they made it happen.
Deon Fourie will be the replacement hooker on Saturday. Almost ten years ago, the 37-year-old switched from the front row to the back row. Now that he is nearing the end of his career, he has gone back to the front row so that the Boks can have more cover elsewhere in the team.
It takes reams of small print and comments to explain everything in the Boks’ game. Borthwick said that England has a simpler plan and is hoping that their main strengths will be enough to make up the gap.
There are different views on whether they can or not.
Joel Stransky, who won the Rugby World Cup, said he would “fall over backwards” if South Africa lost.
Will Greenwood is someone else who wouldn’t be as shocked if England won.
The former England center said of the present team, “They have been building up to this.”
“They won’t fade away into the night in peace.” If South Africa wants to win, they’ll have to be great.
There are a lot of unknowns in the perception gap.
How mentally and physically draining was that fight with France for South Africa? They are the same for their match against England.
Just how much faith has grown behind the scenes of England’s “siege mentality”?
If it rains like it’s supposed to, might the field be more level if it’s wet?
We’ll know by Saturday night.
If England wins, it will be clear that they are one of the real teams that can win the title. The people who don’t believe or support will be proven wrong, and the praise will be fully earned. Borthwick will be able to show that he has faith in his team and his style.
But if you lose, especially by a large amount, those hopes and dreams will fall apart.
Any way you look at it, England’s day of reckoning has come. South Africa will take them to rugby heights they have never been to before—the rough heights where titles are decided.
You need to either step up or stand down.
