[WATCH] Form style: Boks back French heroes v England
|Published
Confident: Damian de Allende.Picture credit: Dan Sheridan
The Springboks will be looking to take England down “form style” in their Rugby World Cup semifinal clash at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday at 9pm.
Coach Jacques Nienber resisted the urge to make changes to his matchday 23 after a bloody 29-28 quarterfinal win over France last week.
Nienaber explains: “When we had our selection meeting, there were lots of discussions but we felt everybody who played last Sunday had a proper performance, individually and as a team, so looking at that, we decided to go for continuity.
We go again 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#StrongerTogether #Springboks #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/E6rmmk2c2u
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 16, 2023
“There were no injuries, so from a medical point of view, there was no reason to change and from a performance point of view there wasn’t any reason to change.”
Centre Damian de Allende agrees with the selection, saying: “There is a bit more confidence considering we are unchanged…”
England, meanwhile, made three changes to their squad that beat Fiji 30-24, as they look to exact revenge on the team that smashed them 32-12 in the final of the tournament four years ago in Japan.
Coach Steve Borthwick brought in veteran loosehead prop Joe Marler for Ellis Genge and George Martin for Ollie Chessum at lock, while Freddie Steward replaces Marcus Smith at fullback.
Who they line up against on Saturday has no bearing for the #Springboks, they are driven by desperation - more here: https://t.co/KUH8CXpsLb 🙌#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/6rZmGHIm6q
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 19, 2023
Of the clash, Borthwick says: “"There is always belief that is strong in this team. There are players that have performed at the very highest levels. They can't wait for this, epitomised by this man next to me [Owen Farrell].”
Since the 2019 World Cup final, South Africa and England have botsed twice, with the Roses winning 27-26 at Twickenham in 2021 and the Boks repaying that favour at the same stadium 27-13 last year.
The overall record reads 45 games played, with South Africa winning 27 of those matches and England bagging 16 wins, while two ended in a draw.
When you believe, we believe 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>💚![CDATA[]]>💛#StrongerTogether #BokFriday pic.twitter.com/jEXj7QS4wa
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 20, 2023
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff. Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Willie le Roux.
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jonny May, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Owen Farrell (captain), 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler. Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Danny Care, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Lawrence.