Eben Etzebeth may not have watched England much at this World Cup but will not take Steve Borthwick's side lightly. Photo: Getty Images/Jean Catuffe
Eben Etzebeth, South Africa's second row, admitted he has rarely watched England during this World Cup as the Springboks selected their most experienced starting line-up in history, with 895 caps to their name. for Saturday's semi-final in Paris.
The Springboks have named an unchanged matchday 23 for just the second time in 64 Tests and, despite the notorious bench work, will continue with a change of five forwards and three backs. Midfield combination Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard were left out of starting pair Kobus Reinach and Money Libbock.
Both Pieter-Steph du Toit and Mbongeni Mbonambi have recovered from head injuries suffered during the win over France. , with the former, along with captain Siya Kolisi and Dwayne Vermeulen, replicating the backline that defeated England in the 2019 final.
South Africa have selected 13 survivors from the Yokohama final into their playing squad, eight of whom are in the starting XI: Mbonambi, France Malherbe, Du Toit, Kolisi, Vermeulen, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe — and Etzebeth, who will repeat her rivalry with Maro Itoje on Saturday. However, when asked, Locke was unsure of his opponent's form.
“I haven’t watched too many [England] games,” Etzebeth said. “[Maro] is obviously a great player. There is an old saying: “Form is temporary, but class is forever.” I don't want to comment too much on his form, but if he thinks it's better now, then it probably is.»
Since South Africa beat England last year at Twickenham (the match that led to the sacking of Eddie Jones) as well as the 2019 final, Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus warned his team earlier this week to expect «beef». However, Kolisi believes his team is ready.
“We know what happened last year and at the previous World Cup,” the captain said. “They want to prove something. And the way they improved before the World Cup… they're a completely different team. We're not stupid.» South Africa's Jacques Nienaber also addressed England's siege mentality this week, with a giddy Ellis Genge suggesting that «everyone hates» Steve Borthwick's side.
“We go to visit our players in the Premier League,” Nienaber added. “We have always been welcomed with open arms. From the point of view of “hate”, definitely not on our part.
“England are improving every game, getting better. As I said about France, England have a unique kicking game. They are comfortable not playing with the ball. They are the team that hits the hardest and they like to stifle and stifle you.
«From a tactical point of view, we know what's coming and we just have to go for it on the day.»
In an impassioned address, Kolisi emphasized the Springboks' importance to South Africa, saying his team would be «cheating» the nation if they didn't give it their all at the Stade de France on Saturday.
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Siya Kolisi will lead an experienced South African team against England in Paris. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/Frank Fife
“I wish you could see all the support at home,” the 32-year-old said. “Kids in schools send us clips of themselves singing because they know some of us love to sing. It's nice to see people who can't afford [the South African jersey] wearing something green, something that represents the Springboks. We see this and it motivates us. We know what the team meant in the past — not only in sports, but also for the country. We use this to inspire ourselves.
“When you start playing for others, it's not easy to give up. It's much more complicated. When you think about how many people would give anything to be where we are. I'm not saying we're going to win every game, but to give up and not give everything would be cheating — not just for me and the team, but for the rest of the people at home.»
South Africa XV< p>Damian Willems; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslyn Kolbe; Mani Libbock, Kobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Mbongeni Mbonambi, France Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements:Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, R.G. Snyman, Quagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard, Willie Le Roux
Box was cleared of all charges after the HIA said
World Rugby has cleared South Africa of any wrongdoing related to its head injury assessment procedure, despite to concerns they manipulated the system during the quarter-final win over France.
Telegraph Sport columnist Warren Gatland expressed suspicions over the manner in which several Springboks players received HIAs in the second half of South Africa's 29–28 win. Strikers Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen and Bongi Mbonambi were sent off in the second half, but the former two returned to action and all three will start in the semi-final against England on Saturday.
Gatland wrote: “For example, if I were Steve [Borthwick], I would ask some questions about the number of head injury assessments South Africa required in their win over France. I have no doubt whether they were legal or not, but there were people who speculated about it, and I would certainly put it out there and highlight that it looks unusual and raises questions about the protocol.»
However, World Rugby is satisfied there was nothing untoward in the three sending-offs and Borthwick said on Thursday he had full confidence in the officials for Saturday's semi-final at the Stade de France. “We have a world-class team of officials led by Ben O’Keefe,” Borthwick said. “I am confident that everyone on the field will have all the processes in place, as they should be. From our point of view, there is no problem here.”
Backline forwards Vermeulen and Du Toit were sent off in the 51st and 61st minutes and spent 10 and 14 minutes on the sidelines before returning to play. It is believed that the independent match doctor called Vermeulen for an OHI, while hooker Mbonambi's possible headbutt was caught on video replay. There were suspicions that the changes were made to keep South Africa's forward line-up fresh, but the French team is understood to have made no complaints to World Rugby.
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