With unwavering pride, the Springboks are currently in full preparation for the upcoming semi-final of the Rugby World Cup, set to take place on Saturday, October 21. The Bokke secured their spot in the final four after a thrilling 29-28 victory over the hosts France last Sunday, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 80,000 spectators.

Guided by Captain Siya Kolisi, the team demonstrated their reigning world champion status, displaying remarkable tenacity in defeating one of the world’s elite teams. Their focus now centres on maintaining this momentum as they approach the impending semi-final clash against England.

Esteemed sports journalist and author, Sibusiso Mjikeliso, holds a strong conviction that the Boks’ display in the tournament thus far narrates a compelling tale.

“The Springboks have performed quite well…Overcoming the hosts France who were one of the tournament favourites and having beaten the Springboks at the end of year tour series in November last year, that would have given them a lot of confidence. A very good French side and yes, they were without their usual flyhalf, Romain Ntamack, but we saw when they beat the All Blacks (New Zealand) in the first game of the World Cup, that this French side was very good. So, for the Springboks, this was their best game so far overcoming France, especially in the second half where they had to defend with 14 men when Eben Etzebeth was yellow carded,” he explained.

“Overall, to make it this far, it has been a great achievement. I did, however, feel that they should have beaten Ireland in the Group Stages, not saying that the path would have been much easier because that would have put them in contention with the All Blacks and we saw what the All Blacks did against Ireland (New Zealand beat Ireland 28-24). But what the Springboks needed to show was that they are really up to defending their title and show that they are capable and more than ready to deliver the goods when required.”

Given that England enters the tournament with a comparatively weaker team, the Boks will exercise caution to avoid underestimating their opponents.

“Against England, the Springboks need to have better control of the game than they did against France. Of course, France in terms of the calibre of opposition, they are chalk and cheese. This is one of the weakest England teams in recent memory, but definitely not to be taken lightly because they understand their shortcomings and their limitations, so they are not going to play a game that they aren’t suited for. So, we will see them play to the set-pieces, to the line-outs, scrum, try slowing the game down, pick up penalties and then go to the boot of Owen Farrell. I suspect that the Springboks will be up for a physical battle but that suits them, that’s exactly the kind of game that they want to play. The French played a very high-tempo game and we saw how rattled the South Africans were, especially in the early minutes when they gave them a lot of problems. However, the Springboks were able to give as much as they got, so they also showed that there is much more to their armoury than what meets the eye. Also, the Springboks beat England in Twickenham last year, so they will be confident going up against them once again, knowing that they should be able to win.”

On Thursday, Springboks coach, Jacques Nienaber announced an unchanged squad, retaining the same starting XV and replacements bench from their quarter-final clash.

The selection is the most experienced in Springbok history – with a combined total of 895 caps and 15 of the 23 having played against England in the 32-12 victory in the RWC final four years ago in Japan when the Boks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time.

Springbok team to face England in Paris:
15 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 37 caps, 56 pts (4t, 9c, 4p, 2d)
14 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 13 caps, 65 pts (13t)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 66 caps, 75 pts (15t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 76 caps, 55 pts (11t)
11 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 29 caps, 91 pts (14t, 3c, 5p)
10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps, 84 pts (1t, 26c, 9p)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 30 caps, 60 pts (12t)
8 – Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby) – 74 caps, 15 pts (3t)
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 74 caps, 40 pts (8t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 81 caps, 50 pts (10t)
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 71 caps, 15 pts (3t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 117 caps, 30 pts (6t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 67 caps, 5pts (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 66 caps, 65pts (13t)
1 – Steven Kitshoff (Ulster) – 81 caps, 10 pts (2t)

Replacements:
16 – Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 11 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 26 caps, 0 pts
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 48 caps, 0pts
19 – RG Snyman (Munster) – 32 caps, 5pts (1t)
20 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 38 caps, 35 pts (7t)
21 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 53 caps, 48 pts (5t, 4c, 5p)
22 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 68 caps, 678 pts (7T, 95C, 146P, 5D)
23 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 91 caps, 75 pts (15t)

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against England:
Played: 45; Won 27; Lost 16; Drawn 2; Points for 972; Points against 769; Tries scored: 88; Tries against 58; Highest score: 58-10; Biggest win 48 points. Win percentage 60%.