Nienaber sings England’s praises. More mind games from Springboks?

The Springboks caused a big upset in arguably one of the all-time greatest Test matches ever when they beat France 29-28 at the Stade de France in Paris on Sunday to set up a semi-final clash against old rivals England this coming Saturday at the same venue.

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SPRINGBOKS AND ENGLAND HAVE IT ALL TO PLAY FOR

In announcement his team for the semi-final, coach Jacques Nienaber notably made no changes to the Springboks match-day 23 for the do-or-die showdown at the Stade de France.

England are the only remaining side with a perfect win record in the tournament and the selected Springbok lineup will be tasked with ending England’s winning streak.

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Nienaber said he expected a humdinger of a challenge from England, a team boasting all the tools to preserve their record at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

“They come off five victories in a row and they are high on confidence. They have a quality pack and world-class backs who can create magic on the field, and those who are writing them off are making a major mistake.

“Like us, they are one game away from a World Cup final and we’ve seen through the history of the tournament that England raise their game for these matches. If we lose, we have to play the third-place playoff – which no team wants to do.

“We are closely matched in terms of average player age and caps, both teams are used to playing on the biggest stage. This is do-or-die if either of wants to the lift the trophy next week, so neither side will give an inch.”

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