Clive Woodward says that England “stunned” the Boks in their World Cup semi-final, but hailed the “big calls” made by Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber to get a win for SA.
Writing for the UK’s Daily Mail, Woodward points out that England rattled the world champions, who looked panicked before substituting Siya Kolisi, Manie Libbok and Eben Etzebeth.
The former England coach emphasises Libbok’s replacement Handre Pollard’s impact, both in goal kicking and field position play, vindicating the substitutions of Erasmus and Nienaber.
He believes the Springbok coaches showed respect for their opponents’ performance, and Woodward encourages England head coach Steve Borthwick to learn from their example.
Despite the loss to South Africa, Woodward also remains optimistic about the future of English rugby and looks forward to the upcoming Six Nations.
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“England might have lost their World Cup semi-final with South Africa by the narrowest of margins but it was their best performance since 2019, bar none,” he writes.
“It was also England’s most cohesive, unified, and stirring performance for a long time. England stunned South Africa and it was almost enough.
“The faces of Manie Libbok, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi when they were substituted and the frantic animation in the South African technical box said it all about the state of panic they were in.
“I think Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber deserve a huge amount of praise. They got their substitutes spot-on and weren’t afraid to make big calls.”
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