ENG 15-16 RSA: South Africa edge England to book final v New Zealand:
South Africa will have the chance to defend their Rugby World Cup crown in next Saturday’s final against New Zealand after edging England 16-15 in a gripping second semi-final at Stade de France.
The reigning champions were never in front until a long-range penalty from replacement Handre Pollard with just two minutes left on the clock.
Under unrelenting rain, scrum-half Alex Mitchell and fly-half Owen Farrell went to the air again and again for England, whose defence and breakdown work were ferocious as the Springboks had few answers.
Four Farrell first-half penalties to one from Manie Libbok and one from Pollard – who replaced Libbok after just 30 minutes – put England 12-6 up at half-time lead, which Farrell extended to 15-6 with a thumping drop-goal.
But with the Springboks bench exerting increasing influence, replacement second-row RG Synman crashed over after 69 minutes and Pollard’s conversion brought them to within two points.
But another scrum penalty after 78 minutes gave Pollard the chance to break England’s hearts and send South Africa into their fourth RWC final.
“It was a big moment but it is what you want as a player on this stage. To have moments like that as a fly-half is what you live for, it was fun,” said Pollard, who was named the Mastercard Player of the Match.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s a lot of relief in this moment. Frustrated we weren’t at our best tonight, especially in that first half. We knew we had so much more to give but fair play to England, I think they put us under pressure in exactly the right areas. But jeez, the fight we showed, never giving up, it is what we stand for as a team and as a nation.”
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi paid tribute to his team’s never-say-die attitude.
“It was really ugly today but that is what champions are made of,” he said. “Credit to England, they have worked hard. They were written off before the World Cup. Coach Steve [Borthwick] and Owen [Farrell] and the team pulled themselves together and showed who they are. They are not a team you take lightly, all credit to them for being in the semi-final today.
“It was ugly today like it was last week but we found a way to fight back and get back into the game. Well done to the boys. I am really proud of the fight that was showed, especially the guys who came off the bench once again.”
England head coach Steve Borthwick saluted South Africa’s ability “to come back and find a way to win”.
“Great credit to them, they are the number one side in the world,” he said. “They are the world champions for a reason. Secondly, I want to say thank you to the incredible supporters that were here tonight and the millions watching back home who have been cheering this team on. Thirdly, my players, who were incredibly well led by Owen. They showed what it means to play for England. They played their hearts out.”
Captain Farrell, who scored all England’s points, said he was “unbelievably proud” of his side, despite the agonising nature of the defeat.
“After a difficult loss like this, all that stands with me is how proud I am to be English,” he said. “You can always look back at things but South Africa are a top, top side. They have shown that over the course of the World Cup.
“We have been on a different journey over the course of this and I’m just proud of where we’ve been at these last couple of weeks and where we’ve built to and where this team can go from now on.”
South Africa reaction (Pollard, captain Kolisi, head coach Nienaber, Libbok, Kolbe, Reinach, Kitshoff, Du Toit):
On how he felt about England’s start:
“We struggled to get a foothold in the game and get things going. Like the 2019 World Cup quarter-final and semi-final, you need a 60-metre maul, something special to break the game open, and I think the touch kick that set us up for the try [was it]. In this weather and these conditions, to score a try against England that has an unbelievable defence, and this is their first loss in the tournament, was special. And then there was big pressure on nailing that last kick for the win.”
“I had no doubt at all. He has done it for us before. We are grateful for the bench but actually for the whole squad. In this team we remind each other that if we are successful we will say that South Africa won, not the 23 that played. The guys who don’t start, they know when they come on there will be opportunities and we all have different roles and we respect that. Fort us to get that scrum, for Ox [Nche] and Vincent [Koch] and Bongi [Mbonambi], who has been amazing. The medical staff have been amazing, the coaching staff have already prepared for the next game. When Pollie took that kick, it was just relief. Also, it gives us a lot of courage.”
Handre Pollard, Mastercard Player of the Match and fly-half
On emotions after the result:
“It’s unbelievable, it’s a lot of relief in this moment. Frustrated we weren’t at our best tonight, especially in that first half. We knew we had so much more to give but fair play to England, I think they put us under pressure in exactly the right areas. But jeez the fight we showed never giving up, it is what we stand for as a team and as a nation.”
On coming on early:
“We stuck to our plan we just had to execute a bit better here and there. We took it play-by-play, minute-by-minute, you can’t look too far into the future in these kind of games. It took us a long time but we got it done.”
On the final penalty kick:
“Firstly the scrum penalty, that is what got us the opportunity. It was just a credit to them, they were unbelievable, It was a big moment but it is what you want as a player on this stage, to have moments like that as a fly-half is what you live for. It was fun.”
Siya Kolisi, captain
On being able to defend the title:
“It’s honestly all the hard work we have put in came off. It was really ugly today but that is what champions are made of. Credit to England, they have worked hard. They were written off before the World Cup. Coach Steve [Borthwick] and Owen [Farrell] and the team pulled themselves together and showed who they are. They are not a team you take lightly, all credit to them for being in the semi-final today. To my team as well it was ugly today like it was last week but we found a way to fight back and get back into the game. Well done to the boys. I am really proud of the fight that was showed, especially the guys who came off the bench once again.”
On the key moments:
“England did so well in the kicking game, they outplayed us in that. Our discipline was awful in the first half, especially in the key areas where they could take the points. But I thought we fought back in the second half, we showed who we are and what we can do with a full 23.”
On the final:
“It’s going to be as big as it was tonight. The All Blacks played really well last night but we want to thank the South African supporters who came all the way here to support us and the ones back at home as well. Next week is going to be hard, it’s going to be special but may they stay with us and hopefully we can defend it.”
Jacques Nienaber, head coach
On the result:
“First I want to start with credit to England, I thought they were outstanding on the night. They had us under a lot pressure and it took something special to unlock their defence to get a try to get us back in the game.”
On the bench:
“We needed some energy, that is why we decided to bring the bench on. We are fortunate that there is not a lot of difference between the guys who start and the guys on the bench. We needed energy and they brought that.”
On the key moments:
“Like at the previous World Cup, it takes something special to unlock it. It’s always going to be tight, those two moments [scrum penalty and penalty kick] were the telling moments.”
On the final:
“It’s going to be a final, it’s going to be tight, They are an excellent form, if you look at their last few games you’re not going to get close to 30-35 points you won’t be in the mix.”
England reaction (head coach Borthwick, captain Farrell, Care, Mitchell, Lawes, Itoje)
Danny Care, scrum-half
On how he felt in the final quarter:
“You never think you’ve had it won when it’s that close with a team like South Africa and a kicker like (Handre) Pollard.
“It was a hell of a kick to put a team into a final.
“Ultimately, they are in the big dance and we are not. Tough lesson to learn but we are really proud of the lads, what we’ve put out there the last couple of months.
“You are just praying one (scrum penalty) will go your way. I am not a scrum specialist, I am not an expert on it, so I can’t really comment on exactly what’s going on in there. But yeah, it’s tough to take and when they’ve got Handre Pollard kicking the ball, you pray he is going to miss one and he didn’t.”
On whether he and fly-half Owen Farrell thought of a last-minute drop goal when one point behind:
“We were quite a way out. I mean Owen’s drop goal earlier was one of the most casual, brilliant drop goals I’ve ever seen in my life. Even him, he was a bit surprised by it.
“I think we were probably a bit too far, we probably needed to be 10 or 15m a bit further up. I thought we could keep hold of the ball, maybe a penalty comes somewhere. There was one where I was dying for him to give a ‘not rolling away’ penalty but he didn’t.”
On how England overcome the crushing sense of disappointment:
“I don’t know. I’ve never lost a World Cup semi-final before. It was tough, tough in that changing room. Steve (Borthwick) and Owen (Farrell) both talked brilliantly, said how proud they were of the lads, of the effort that we’ve put in. Unfortunately, having great effort doesn’t quite get you over the line sometimes.
“I was sat in the bath with Maro (Itoje) then and we just kind of said ‘sport, it can be cruel’. That’s why you love it so much, it’s on a knife edge so often and obviously one happy changing room and one really sad one.
“For me personally, when time is running out on your international career, it’s tough to take but I am incredibly proud to be part of this team. A lot of stuff was said about it (the team) before but hopefully we’ve changed some perceptions and maybe got people believing in us again. And this team is only going to go on to bigger and better things, I am sure of that.”
On the prospect of getting themselves back up for the Bronze final:
“We have to. We want to. Obviously we’d have loved to be in the big dance but we’re not. The next best thing you can do is to finish third and try and make people at home proud.”
On not retiring from international duty:
“I am always here and available. If there’s a need for me, if I can help still then I’ll never say no.”
Alex Mitchell, scrum-half
On feelings:
“We put in a performance out there, but didn’t get the result. Few hurt bodies. That’s a tough one to take. It could have gone either way, but it didn’t go our way tonight.”
On the game:
“The conditions were tough. The ball was really greasy so the kicking game was huge, putting their back three under pressure and with the set-piece, trying to dominate that. We were trying to work our way down the field to get three points when we could, trying to keep the scoreboard ticking which we did well.”
On conceding final penalty:
“I don’t know too much about that. I was on the touchline so I didn’t actually see it. It’s one of them that’s gone their way so frustrating.”
On England’s World Cup:
“It has been fantastic. Before the World Cup people said we wouldn’t do very well and struggle to get out of the group but we managed to get to a semi and hopefully now we can push to get third place.
“We are frustrated tonight but on the whole we’ve done reasonably well.”
On feelings becoming first choice scrum-half after being called-up late:
“Definitely half empty at the moment. Frustrated. You want to get the win, but for me personally I’ve really enjoyed the experience of being at a World Cup and getting a few starts under my belt. Personally I’ve loved it, but you want to go one further and get to a final and win it so at the moment very frustrated.”
On playing against Cobus Reinach after their time at Northampton:
“It was class. He has taught me a lot of things over the years. It wasn’t really a game for sniping, it was very much a kicking game. That didn’t come to fruition but he is a class player and a really good lad so it was quite weird playing against him.”
Courtney Lawes, back row
On why England lost the game:
“We gave away too many penalties in the second half. Fine margins, it is one of those things. We gave it everything we had and I think we can be quite proud of that.”
On the result ranks in terms of disappointments:
“It’s disappointing because we should have won it. I think we were the better team on the day but congrats to them. They found a way to win and that is what you have to do sometimes.”
On third place playoff:
“I don’t think it will be too difficult [to pick the boys up for the game]. I think it’s really important for us to finish on a high. We’ve got a lot of boys that may or may not play, obviously we don’t know the team yet but a lot of boys that are on this tour won’t represent their country again so it’s very important we finish where we started.”
On George Martin’s performance:
“I just spoke to him then and said I am very much looking forward to watching his career. Incredible game today, it just shows his maturity as a player. I think he is 22, the same age as me when I had my first World Cup. I think he is going to be here for a long time and he has some incredible work he is going to get through.”
On why South Africa got the result:
“I think their set piece came through in the end, that is something they can very much rely on. Their bench definitely brought an impact onto the pitch. we knew that could be the case and we unfortunately didn’t deal with it well enough.”
Maro Itoje, second-row
On how he’s feeling:
“Very sad. A lot of effort, a lot of passion, a lot of time and dedication has gone into this World Cup from our side. But I am proud of the effort, how hard we fought out there. We were a couple of minutes away from executing the game plan pretty well.
“It was sad but we have to dust ourselves off and move on.”
On anything that went wrong late on:
“There were things we could have been more alive to. They scored from that lineout move, we should have been more alive to that, and a couple of penalties up the field where we should have been a bit sharper. But they are a good team. Every team you play against is going to have a moment. We are just gutted.”
On what the message was at half-time:
“Just to execute the game plan, to try to raise the intensity. We knew it was going to go up, so it was about executing our game plan and being disciplined.”
On whether he felt the Springboks were rattled:
“The whole plan was to put them under pressure. We accomplished that in the first half, we wanted to challenge them and I think we did that. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
Steve Borthwick, head coach
On George Martin’s performance:
“I thought he played really well. Another young player, I’d hope to see him in an England shirt for years to come.”
On how Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler are feeling:
“We’re all disappointed. We’ve fallen short. We came very close to doing it. In adversity, there’s usually a seed of something that will grow and be brilliant in the future. We’ll make sure we grab that and it makes us stronger.”
On the game:
“If you want to chat later in the week, I’ll give you a proper analysis. As for the gameplan, we’re playing against a coaching team who have been in place since 2018. We’ve had four months. I’ve asked the players to approach training and the game in a different way; for the players to be willing to change is all credit to them. Tonight was another example of that.”
On when the gameplan was devised and how much the weather affected it:
“We first met as a team on Tuesday morning to put a plan in place, trained Tuesday and Thursday. We knew there was a chance of rain and you have to bear that in mind when you’re planning how you wish to play.”
Owen Farrell, fly-half
On how he is feeling after the defeat:
“I’m sat here disappointed but unbelievably proud. It’s not all gone our way but to build up to a performance like we did today, ultimately to come short to a great team like South Africa, I am sat here disappointed but unbelievably proud of what this group has done over the past five months together.”
On the fight his team showed:
“The contest was always going to be a good one. I think we knew that before the game.
“I thought the fight that we showed throughout the game, we thought we might have done enough to win but unfortunately South Africa had a bit to say in that, so congratulations to them.”
On the first half:
“I felt like we were playing well. I felt like we were playing to our plan. I felt like we were showing what we were capable of and to do that on a stage like this, in a semi-final, is exactly what you want.”
On his altercation with South Africa’s Willie Le Roux after the final whistle:
“It was nothing. Nothing. Just a misunderstanding.”
Steve Borthwick, head coach
On his feelings after the game:
“Firstly immense credit to South Africa to come back and find a way to win. Great credit to them, they are the number one side in the world. They are the world champions for a reason.
“Secondly, I want to say thank you to the incredible supporters that were here tonight and the millions watching back home and who have been cheering this team on. Thirdly, my players who were incredibly well led by Owen. They showed what it means to play for England. They played their hearts out.”
On where they lost the game:
“Right now is not the moment for dissecting the game. They found the way to gain the advantage around the scrum and that gave them the field position and the points.”
On getting to the semi-final:
“If you look at this squad it is a very good squad of players. We had seven players 25 or under today, that’s the most of any semi-finalist. South Africa had one.
“This is a really talented group from the experienced to the not so experienced. They are very disappointed today, but we’ll reflect on that, find what we have to do better and we’ll be a better team next Friday.”
On facing Argentina in the third/fourth-place play-off:
“I will start thinking about that in the next period of time, but we’ll look forward to it. We wanted to be in the final on Saturday, now we play Argentina back here on Friday and we’ll prepare thoroughly for it. It will be a week when we step forward again.”
Owen Farrell, captain
On feelings after defeat:
“Not too much at the moment to be honest. I am unbelievably proud of this group. The crowd today were unbelievable.
“After a difficult loss like this all that stands with me is how proud I am to be English.”
On where game was lost:
“You can always look back at things but South Africa are a top, top side. They have shown that over the course of the World Cup.
“We have been on a different journey over the course of this and I’m just proud of where we’ve been at these last couple of weeks and where we’ve built to and where this team can go from now on.”
On what now for England:
“It’s different for everyone. This will be some people’s last World Cups and some people are going elsewhere.
“But I’m unbelievably proud of this group and what they’ve done over the last five months. Whatever happens going forward this team is going to be good.”
Assistant coach Davids (RSA) – ‘Springboks v All Blacks is always a special battle’
Deon Davids, assistant coach
On any injury concerns in the South Africa squad:
“We have no report of any injuries. Everyone is fine. We will go though the normal medical and recovery protocols today but at this stage we are all ready to go for this coming week.”
On just how big this week will be, with two three-time Rugby World Cup winners going head to head for a fourth title:
“It is a fantastic and exciting week that lies ahead of us. Our battles with the All Blacks, there is a lot of history between us. We have played them a couple of times this year but going into a World Cup final I don’t think any of those previous encounters count. It is a totally new game, under new circumstances, playing for the World Cup. We will have to be on top of our plan and our execution this week.
“You can see that throughout the competition New Zealand have been playing excellent rugby. They are also in a really good space, so it is going to be a hard-fought battle on Saturday and we need to make sure we tick a lot of boxes in our preparation.”
On how much is left in the tank after consecutive one-point wins over France and England:
“If you can get a better result early on and see the score clearly, it would obviously be the best position to be in, but this is a World Cup and we have played against teams in excellent form. Last week it was France at home – I don’t think it gets bigger than that – and this week a formidable England team that pitched up and really played very well. We really had to battle it out.
“But applause for our players for turning things around. It is a testament of the character of the players. I’ve been in these types of situations a couple of times, understanding how we operate as a squad, whether you start or whether you come off the bench, trying to adapt and making plans on the run.
“We are just glad that we turned things around last week and this week, and hopefully this week [in the final] we won’t be in a similar situation but it will still be a tough battle.”
On both teams going for a record fourth Rugby World Cup title:
“Very excited. As a kid we grew up listening to the radio on the battles between the All Blacks and South Africa, listening to the stories of the heroes from both teams over the years.
“It has been part of our rugby history, the Springboks and the All Blacks, and every time we play each other it is always a special battle and I don’t think this one will be different. I think it will maybe go to a different level in terms of the competition between the players – excellent talent in both teams.
“It is going to come down to the day. It is how the team that handles the pressure, executes the best, or maybe one brilliant moment from one individual that turns things around, it might come down to things like that. We are very privileged and humble to make it so far, to be part of such a big week leading to this game.”
On what head coach Jacques Nienaber brings to the squad in the week leading up to a Rugby World Cup final:
“As a coaching team we have a very good relationship in terms of how we deal with things, always looking together for solutions, not taking praise for different departments but seeing everything as a collective approach, how we look at things and how we can complement each other.
“The leadership comes from Jacques and Rassie [Erasmus, director of rugby], in terms of how they empower us to do things and share their experience. That flows down to the leadership group of the players – their input and insights and what they think will work – because we have a lot of experience within the group.
“Working in an environment like that, everyone works towards a common goal and you are led in that way. It is fantastic to be in such a dynamic environment.”
On the plans for what will be a nervy week ahead:
“Today is a very good rest day and then we will start making plans for this week. It is important to take each day as it comes and to ensure that, from a preparation perspective, we know what we want to do and just not get ahead of ourselves.
“Nothing will change in terms of our approach. From a strategic point of view, we will look at maybe making different plans in different areas, but technically and conditioning-wise I don’t thing anything will change this week and that is the way we will approach things.”
On how instinctive was the substitution of fly-half Manie Libbok for Handre Pollard after 31 minutes:
“The beauty of this squad is there is a great alignment of the players who start and the players who come off the bench. Everyone has a good idea of when the substitutions might happen.
“The guys who start have to do a specific job for us and the guys off the bench have to do a specific job for us. Sometimes as the game goes on you look at the execution of our plans, the conditions and areas where you can improve or where you look for something different.
‘When the subs came on, first Handre, RG Snyman, Ox Nche, all of those guys came on and brought something different. Also, because there is a close relationship between the guys who start and come off the bench, they were able to bring new energy, execute some new plans, in terms of we had to attack what was in front of us, and I can just applaud all those players for doing that.
“These are the discussions we had as coaches about where we had to do stuff and we are just glad that it worked out for us.”
On the improvements that the Springboks need to make in the forwards:
“The conditions were very difficult for both teams, especially with the grip of the ball. It was slippery. Both teams struggled with that. In terms of the mauling, it didn’t go our way all the time. We might have been unlucky at certain times not to get better rewards, whether it was within our own control or possible infringements that happened around that.
“Under the conditions and under the pressure of the game, it wasn’t always clearly seen by the officials but that is part of the game. We always look at how we can improve.
“Well done to England, they were well coached. The conditions were extremely difficult and I am just glad that as the game went on we adapted and executed better.”
On England flanker Tom Curry complaining to the referee about being sworn at by a South Africa player:
“I am not aware of any comment, it was never discussed. I don’t know.”
On how much preparation in the coming week will be mental and how much will be physical:
“It is one of the things that we need to be smart on. We will find a balance to ensure our players are fresh and ready to go for Saturday. Us coaches and the conditioning coach will have a good discussion so that tactically and strategically we pitch up to be the best that we can be, to execute for 80 minutes.”
On the differences he anticipates from when the Springboks beat the All Blacks at Twickenham before the Rugby World Cup:
“It will be a completely different game. Both teams will have learned a lot of lessons. New Zealand is playing excellent rugby. We will see where we can outsmart each other. This will be a new game under new circumstances, playing for the top prize in world rugby. If you look back too far and not be in the moment, we will fool ourselves. Our focus will be on what we have to do and to keep in mind we are facing a formidable opponent.”
On the development of prop Ox Nche:
“That is what you want to get out of coaching, to try to improve the players, to make a difference in their lives on and off the field, and for them to put in the hard work to do that.
“When you look at how these players operate and how much hard work they put in, [it is] how they react with the things that we share with them, trying to track their performance at their franchises, the response of the players towards that to become better.
“And when they come in to camp, to work harder whether they are selected or not, the desire to be part of the squad and perform for their country, to put up a performance like he [Nche] did last night, I think that is tremendous. We have been working with him from school, through the under-20s, and now being part of the Springboks team, so to see that development from him as a player and as a person is tremendous and such an inspiring feeling from a coaching perspective.”
On the Rugby World Cup final being a clash of styles:
“There is strength in both teams in terms of how they play the game, but also there might be similarities in terms of how we look at the game.
“Both squads are similar in terms of experience, X-factor and where and how they want to play. It is going to be a tight battle to outsmart each other and to ensure you get the upper hand.
“It is going to be about possession, playing in the right areas, using your opportunities. It is going to be a massive battle. Those are the things that I think assisted the teams to get into the final. The team that executes the best, pitches up mentally the best to adapt to the conditions, will be the winners of this tournament.”
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