A difficult choice awaits for the French who will watch England-South Africa: support the XV de la Rose, the ultimate enemy in rugby; or support the Springboks, executioners of the French XV in the quarter-final (29-28). In any case, this semi-final promises to be exciting. On the one hand, the English defied all odds by reaching the semi-finals. With Owen Farrell having been successful since the start of the competition, they were able to win against the very – or even too – playful Fijians. Without having shone, the British will play the sixth semi-final in their history. Facing them, the terrible Springboks seem almost unplayable. Jacques Nienaber renewed the XV which had disposed of the Blues, and which is moving forward with certainties. Led by a very great Cheslin Kolbe, imperial in the quarter, and once again refereed by Ben O’Keefee, the South Africans are the big favorites in this match.
England-South Africa: 9:00 p.m. (TF1)
In 2019 during the Springboks’ world title, Syia Kolisi was the emblem of the Rainbow nation. Captain courage, he managed to take his troops to the point of lifting the Webb-Ellis trophy. And this year again, the powerful South African third row knows he can count on the support of his people: “School children send us videos of them singing because they know that some of us like sing. At work on Fridays, people wear their green jerseys. What’s nice to see is that people are wearing everything that represents the Springboks.” Kolisi and his teammates know it, against the English, they will have a population of 58 million behind them.
Very successful since the start of the competition, and in particular against the XV of France in the quarter-final, Kurt-Lee Arendsee could well hurt the English this evening. Since the start of the competition, he has scored two tries and covered 149 meters with the ball in hand. Often in the right zone under aerial balls, the favorite weapon of the XV de la Rose, its support and its speed allow it to be formidable on the restart. In selection, the pocket winger (1m77, 80 kg) who comes from rugby sevens, scored 13 tries in 13 selections. A ratio of one try per match, which he intends to maintain against England, in a Stade de France which seems to be working well for him.
In the 2019 final won by the Springboks against England, the half-time score was only 3-0, thanks to a Pollard penalty passed in the 40th minute. We had to wait until the second half to witness a real offensive festival, including a masterpiece scored by Kolbe following an overrun on Farrell. This evening, the Saint-Denis public hopes to see some spectacle in the first half as well.
