England v South Africa – Rugby World Cup Preview

A repeat of the 2019 World Cup. England take on South Africa at the Stade de France in the second World Cup semi-final.

Steve Borthwick’s England have defied expectations. Having lost six of their nine pre-World Cup matches under new their head coach, the bar was set exceptionally low for England. Some went as far as forecasting a pool stage exit for the Red Rose. For England to have reached the semi-final as the only unbeaten side is thus a testament to their improving form.

Admittedly, England have had a relatively easy path to the semi-final stage, avoiding any side in the top-7 ranked in the world. Following an impressive 27-10 win over Argentina on the opening day, England cruised through the pool stage with comfortable victories over Japan and Chile, before a nail-biting one-point victory over Samoa. The Red Rose had to rely on a late Owen Farrell drop goal to defeat Fiji 30-24 in the quarter-finals.

Interestingly, England were the pre-match favourites for the 2019 final. This time, however, England go into this game as big 4/1 underdogs.

Their opponents South Africa have suffered just one defeat this World Cup. The Springbok suffered a tight 13-8 defeat at the hands of the best-ranked side in Ireland. South Africa dealt with the rest of their pool-stage adversary in relatively comfortable fashion with wins over Scotland, Romania, and Tonga. The Springbok then had to be at their best to defeat the hosts France in an enthralling 29-28 win.

In their 45 encounters, South Africa have come out on top on 27 occasions, with the Red Rose winning 16. Their most recent meeting was a decisive victory for the Springbok at Twickenham back in November 2022. Ultimately leading to the sacking of Eddie Jones.

Teams News

South Africa have named an unchanged side from their quarter-final victory over France. With 895 caps to their name, the Springbok have selected their most experienced starting XV.

Steve Borthwick’s selection headache continues as England fans continue to show their distain over Owen Farrell’s selection. The England captain has been competing with the in-form George Ford for the starting fly-half position.