Springboks’ self-belief, Bomb Squad shine through in semifinal

PARIS, France — The match ended in a brawl, a fitting end to a Rugby World Cup semi-final where no quarter was awarded by either team. The Springboks led England for two minutes of the match. Unfortunately for Steve Borthwick’s side, those 120 seconds were the ones that counted as Handre Pollard’s 78th-minute penalty gave South Africa a 16-15 victory and secured their place in the final against the All Blacks. .

England were heroic, but South Africa’s mentality and self-belief are on another level than anything we’ve seen at this World Cup. For much of this semi-final it was they who beat the deluge, while England played wet weather rugby to perfection. But the Boks stayed in the game – sometimes by their fingernails – and that fragile hold was enough to give them a platform to ultimately turn the tide in their favor.

And it was their much-vaunted ‘bomb squad’ (the name given to the Springboks’ substitutes, who helped win them the 2019 World Cup) that got the job done. Frontline substitutions in the second half saw the Boks win a series of four scrum penalties in the final quarter, which allowed them to regain their range and launch a series of attacks on the England defence, which which gave them the opportunity to turn around. this from a nine-point deficit in the 69th minute to a 16-15 victory.

“We needed some energy, that’s why we decided to bring on the bench,” Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber said. “We’re fortunate that there isn’t much difference between the guys starting and the guys on the bench. We needed energy and they brought it.”

The final scrum penalty came in the 78th minute. Ellis Genge was the player penalized by referee Ben O’Keeffe; Jamie George protested the decision, saying Vincent Koch had taken a stand, but the decision stood. Pollard lined up the penalty about 48 yards out, stepped forward and was already heading back to his posts before the ball reached his peak height. He knew it was passing, knew it was a one-point advantage and knew they had to refocus for England’s final assault. “I had no doubt that this was going to end,” Siya Kolisi said.

England threw everything at the Boks, as they had done all match, but this time they failed to find the field or take the penalty. As the full-time whistle blew, tensions boiled over, a brawl ensued, but then the splash of red roses and Boks exhilaration took over.

“The performance from the whole team was strong,” Borthwick said. “We came here with a plan to win the game, and we fell short. We are desperately disappointed but the players should be incredibly proud of what they did.”

It was too tense a match to really enjoy. It was one of those occasions where you could feel your heart vibrating in your chest. It was intense – the opposite of Friday’s semi-final – where every forward, turnover, scrum seemed crucial.

The conditions were appalling, with rain swirling around the Stade de France, caught by the wind and barely given a chance to settle. England arrived with a simple, but brilliantly effective, game plan of targeting the turnover ball out of their kicking game and their ascendancy on set pieces. It worked. The Boks looked rattled for much of the first 40, with England dominating the set piece, winning all three scrums, Maro Itoje ahead of Eben Etzebeth in the lineout and the team generally playing effective rugby. It was enough to give them a 12-6 lead at half-time with a monumental field, Freddie Steward dominating the sky, and Jonny May and Elliot Daly sending anything and everything back in England’s direction on the flanks.

The second half started in much the same way, with Farrell scoring a magnificent drop from just inside the halfway line in the 53rd minute – a drop worthy of any World Cup match – but the Boks were showing signs of life.

The Springboks were dominated for around an hour, but it was their substitutes who swung this match in their favor. Each made the required impact, including the bold decision to hook Manie Libbok after just 31 minutes, replacing him with the experienced Pollard. Pollard brought much more control to their game, where Libbok’s kicks were everywhere. Faf de Klerk came on early in the second half, Willie Le Roux after 44 minutes and each played a narrow role in halting England’s momentum.

And then came the changes to the front row which then gave the Boks the platform to launch their winning journey into the English half. RG Snyman’s 69th-minute try came after the third of four scrum penalties, giving the Boks a chance to secure a key lineout just meters from the England line. It was his volume that was enough to break England’s resolve, but then came Pollard’s coup de grace two minutes from time.

“First of all, the scrum penalty, that’s what gave us the opportunity,” Pollard said. “It was just an honor for them, they were incredible, it was a great moment but that’s what you want as a player on that stage, to experience moments like that as a halfback. openness, that’s what you live for. It was fun.”

It was a match highlighting once again the remarkable self-belief of the Boks and their complete faith in the system they have in place. Just like in 2019, South Africa found a way to win the tightest of matches – struggling to cross the finish line in the final moments to ensure progress, and the losing team wondering how all this happened exactly.