Handre Pollard slotted a 78th-minute penalty as the Springboks came back from a nine-point deficit to beat a dogged England in Paris on Saturday night and progress to the World Cup final.
South Africa kept alive their hopes of going back-to-back in France as they rallied to claim a 16-15 victory at a wet and rainy Stade de France, after England dominated the first 60 minutes to lead in the second half.
Breathless#ENGvRSA | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/VCWdi3F0Jr
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The Springboks will go on to face New Zealand next Saturday, in a re-match of the 1995 final, after the All Blacks cruised to a 44-6 victory against Argentina in Friday’s first semi-final. England, meanwhile, will play for bronze against Los Pumas.
Clutch#ENGvRSA | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/WkzriCr129
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It was certainly a smash-and-grab win for the Boks, who found themselves 15-6 down and without any sort of momentum going into the final 20 minutes.
At that stage, it seemed that many of the calls made by Rassie Erasmus and the Bok brains trust were backfiring. From the first play, England were on the front foot, as they took the lead as early as the second minute through the first of Owen Farrell’s four penalties.
Owen Farrell goes the distance #ENGvRSA | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/lKJT4yhFrF
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Scrumhalf Alex Mitchell’s tactical kicking caused the Springboks no end of trouble, while fullback Freddie Steward was a colossus in the air and Maro Itoje caused havoc at the lineout.
The Springboks were dominated in the physical exchanges, struggled to win a lineout, had little dominance from the scrum and had their strengths nullified through a streetsmart performance from England.
Manie Libbok was hooked as early as the 30th minute after an error-strewn performance, while the Bok bench was emptied, bar tighthead prop Vincent Koch, by the 50th minute.
Yet, with that said, the Springboks found a way to win, similar to how they snatched a late victory over Wales at the same stage four years ago. Ox Nche wrote himself into South African rugby folklore with a destructive scrummaging performance that gave the Boks the slight bit of momentum they desperately needed.
It was a powerful scrum that led to the Springboks working their way upfield for RG Snyman’s try in the 69th minute, the first time that South Africa had threatened England’s line since the 33rd minute.
Once again, the scrum brought the penalty on the halfway line that, as he had done against Wales in Japan four years ago, and as he did in last week’s quarter-final against tournament hosts France, Pollard kept his composure to slot the kick and give South Africa the lead for the first time in the match with just two minutes to play.
From there, the Bok defence stood tall on defence and drove England back, eventually forcing the knock-on to bring an end to a gritty win and give themselves a chance of retaining the Webb Ellis Cup against their greatest rivals.
Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP