VIDEO: The England 'pothole' that is threatening to trip up Boks
Bookmakers and some pundits have heavily weighted the odds in favour of South Africa and have given them an implied 80 percent chance of progressing to the Final – with some even as bounteous as 85 percent.
That may well suggest the Springboks need only arrive at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday to book their place in the World Cup Final on October 28.
However, England will have something to say about that when they face off against the defending champions in Paris.
South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus was quick to pour cold water on the suggestion that his team can start planning for the Final.
Addressing a media briefing – peculiarly in the Salle Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) meeting room in the quaint commune of Presles in the Val-d’Oise district in northern France – Erasmus was at pains to point out that England has the potential to trip up his team.
Erasmus described England as a ‘massive pothole’ to get past, pointing out that they “match up” to the Springboks much better than most people give them credit for.
“We [the Springboks] will have an average of 200 minutes [per player] played [in the World Cup] so far,” the calculated SARU boss said, adding: “They [England] will have about 260 minutes [played per player].
“The average caps of our team will be like 54 [Tests], they will be about 59.
“The average age of our team is 30, the average age of their team is 29.
“The weight [of the two teams] is 104 and 105.
“England is unbeaten [at the World Cup] and [Steve] Borthwick has stuck to his guns since he was appoint [in December last year].”
He said England has belief in what they are doing and will also be hurting from their (13-27) loss to the Boks at Twickenham last November and the (12-32) World Cup Final loss in 2019.
“They will be a very desperate team, which you would expect,” Erasmus said.
Erasmus even shared with the media the team he believes will run out at the 80,000-seater stadium on Saturday – almost as if he has an insight into their selection meetings.
(WATCH as South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus talks about the pitfalls of facing England in the World Cup semifinal…)
The team he used for his analyses and comparisons does not differ much from the side the fought their way past Fiji last week.
The England starting XV is: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Jonny May, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
The replacements are: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Dan Cole, 19 George Martin, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Danny Care, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Lawrence.
He spoke of the ‘massive X-factor’ brought by Smith, with the possibility that Farrell could also move to centre.
That would bring Ford and his ability to slot drop-goals back into the frame.
“They have Courtney [Lawes] there that can play lock and flank.
“He has been a rock for them at flank.
“The other two loose forwards [Ben Earl and Tom Curry] bring so much energy.
“They have so many experienced players that played against us last time [November],” he said.
He added that England will have some ‘beef’ with the Boks – having lost in the 2019 World Cup Final and last November.
“They have threats all over the park,” the SARU boss said.
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