@Springboks
Springbok coach, Jacque Nienaber, has dismissed the notion that England are underdogs for Saturday’s World Cup semi-final clash as they decide who progresses to the final.
The Springboks had the measure of England in Japan four years ago to claim their third Rugby World Cup title.
“England went into the previous Rugby World Cup semi-final as the underdog against New Zealand and we have to stay in the moment and stay in the reality,” said Nienaber.
He said the reality is that the Springboks will be facing a “good English side” adding that they will not look at history.
“I don’t know where we were ranked in 2019 [before going on to win it] but any team can beat any team on the day in this game. If we lose this game, we are out so everything is focused on this match,” Nienaber said.
He also identified the steady start England made under new coach Steve Borthwick, who was appointed at the end of last year after Eddie Jones’ departure.
“They’re a completely different coaching team to the last time we played against them, and Steve has embedded a game plan or game model that was different to the previous one under Eddie,” said Nienaber.
Captain Siya Kolisi said they paid no attention to the public criticism that England had received and noted that their opponents would have considerable motivation following their 32-12 defeat four years ago.
“A lot of the players were there at the last World Cup, and they will be out to prove something,” he said.
Kick-off in the big clash at the Stade de France will be around 9 pm, according to Supersport.
