Semi-final Preview: England v South Africa

19 Oct 2023 | 6 min |

Semi-final Preview: England v South Africa

Everything you need to know ahead of England Men's semi-final clash with South Africa in Paris.

Steve Borthwick's men are the only team in the last four of the Rugby World Cup to have reached the semi-finals unbeaten in the tournament, having topped their pool with wins over Argentina, Japan, Chile and Samoa before emerging victorious against Fiji in their quarter-final in Marseille.

Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant went over for England's two tries, while 20 points from the boot of Owen Farrell secured victory against a spirited Fiji side.

South Africa edged hosts France 28-29 at the Stade de France to secure their spot in the semi-final. They finished as runners-up of Pool B despite losing 8-13 to Ireland in Paris, earning knockout qualification through victories against Scotland, Romania and Tonga.

When?	Saturday 21 October
Where?	Stade de France, Paris
Kick off	20:00 BST

The winner of this semi-final will play in the Rugby World Cup final (28 October), facing the winner of Friday's clash between Argentina and New Zealand, who overcame Wales and Ireland in their respective quarter-finals to reach the last four.

WHERE TO WATCH

ITV will be broadcasting every Rugby World Cup fixture live.
For the travelling rugby fan, check out our supporter's guide to Paris.

VIEWS FROM CAMP

Kevin Sinfield: "We're really excited for the weekend. South Africa are a top team, we've seen that in their previous fixtures. The physicality that they bring. France certainly turned up to that game and it's a great showcase for what rugby is all about. We knew that getting to this point would be a tough challenge and we have the utmost respect for them. They play some great rugby, they know what they're about, and we're up for the challenge.

"A lot has changed in four years. Some of the players may use that final defeat in 2019, and some won't be bothered by it at all. We're in 2023 now, and we're in Paris. Throughout the last few weeks we've made huge improvements and we know where we need to be at the weekend if we want to get the job done."

Ollie Chessum: "We're massively excited. These are the games you want to be a part of, against the big teams on the biggest stage. They've got some unbelievable players in their pack who bring an exceptional level of physicality, so it's up to us to get out there and compete against it.

PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 17: Ollie Chessum of England speaks to the media following a training session at Institut National du Sport on October 17, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

"Week by week we've grown as a group and got better in various aspects of our game, so it's about bringing that level of physicality but also the execution at the weekend."

TEAM NEWS

England

15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jonny May , 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 11. Elliot Daly, 10. Owen Farrell (C), 9. Alex Mitchell, 1. Joe Marler, 2. Jamie George, 3. Dan Cole, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. George Martin, 6. Courtney Lawes, 7. Tom Curry, 8. Ben Earl

Replacements

16. Theo Dan, 17. Ellis Genge, 18. Kyle Sinckler, 19. Ollie Chessum, 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Danny Care, 22. George Ford, 23. Ollie Lawrence

South Africa

15. Damien Willemse, 14. Kurt-lee Arendse, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damien de Allende, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Cobus Reinach, 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 3. Frans Malherbe, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 5. Franco Mostert, 6. Siya Kolisi (C), 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8. Duane Vermeulen

Replacements

16. Deon Fourie, 17. Ox Nche, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. RG Snyman, 20. Kwagga Smith, 21. Faf de Klerk, 22. Handre Pollard, 23. Willie le Roux

STATS

England are the only team to have averaged 30+ kicks in play per game (33.0) and have retained possession from 20% of their kicks, the highest such rate of any side.

South Africa (8.0) and England (8.6) have conceded fewer penalties per game than any other sides to have reached the semi-finals of this year’s Rugby World Cup, with only France and Japan (7 each) averaging fewer overall.

England’s Ben Earl has made the joint-most line breaks (5, also Peato Mauvaka) and the beaten the second-most defenders (17) of any forward in this year’s Rugby World Cup – Earl has also completed at least 16 more tackles than any of his teammates (60, 8th most overall).

South Africa’s Cheslin Kolbe has averaged 16.7 metres per carry from his 19 carries at this year’s Rugby World Cup, more than any other player to have run with the ball on 15+ occasions.