England vs South Africa: Rugby World Cup 2023 Semi-Final Preview

by Luke Andrews, 20 October 2023

For only the second time in England’s history, they face South Africa in both rugby and cricket World Cups on the same day. In this article, Luke Andrews previews the rugby clash with the Springboks, the history between the two sides and the latest news ahead of the vital clash. England are just one game away from the World Cup final but are underdogs and will need to be at their very best to beat one of the finest teams on the planet.

The stage is set for Saturday, October 21, where the reigning World Cup Champions, South Africa, face last year’s finalists England at 20:00 in the Stade de France. In a repeat of the 2019 finals, that England lost 27 – 13 in Japan. The Springboks have been impressive in their title defence and have already turned heads by beating the hosts, France, in front of a packed crowd.

South Africa is the most successful team in the Rugby World Cup, with three titles alongside New Zealand. The Springboks won their first Webb Ellis title when they debuted, hosted the tournament in 1995 against the All Blacks, and beat England in 2007 and 2019 for their other trophies.

South Africa is the favoured team at rugby betting sites, going into their match against England, having previously dominated them in the last World Cup final. Their confidence is bolstered by their strong track record in the competition. Remarkably, despite missing the first two tournaments, South Africa holds the highest number of titles with three. Neutral fans will hope that if South Africa wins, they will be joined in the final by New Zealand (who are facing Argentina in the other semi-final). Such a match-up would see South Africa and New Zealand go head-to-head as it will determine which team holds the most trophies, as the Kiwis could surpass the African nation’s total of three.

The semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup have been confirmed.

Argentina – semi-finalists in 2007 and 2015 – will take on three-time champions New Zealand.

2003 winners England play reigning champions South Africa, who are searching for a record fourth title.

😁 pic.twitter.com/8qECJ6BG7e

— Fafabet (@Fafabet_ZA) October 16, 2023

South Africa is one of the strongest teams at the World Cup, with an eighty-four per cent winning percentage. From the forty-three games they have played, they have lost just seven, won thirty-six, and are yet to draw a game at the competition. They have amassed 1,512 points and conceded 552 against the competition, which is quite impressive.

England secured the Rugby World Cup title in 2003 by defeating host nation Australia. Despite this achievement, their record is marred by three unsuccessful final appearances in 1991, 2007, and 2019. Notably, England is the only team from the northern hemisphere to have won the Rugby World Cup.

They have been one of the dominant sides since they first appeared against Australia in the first edition in 1987. England has played half a century of games, winning thirty-six and losing the other fourteen. They collected 1,569 points for and 783 points against.

I will review the highly contested match between England and South Africa, looking at the history between the two sides, considering the two times they met at the finals. We will then look at the ongoing World Cup competition and the performances of the two teams and analyse the team’s squads.

The Rugby World Cup is one of the most intense competitions that brings together some of the world’s most muscular and athletic players. Regardless of the six-week schedule extended by one week for the 2023 edition, more than giving the players five days’ rest between the games seemingly is needed for the high intense energy output in the games. Teams occasionally gave great, energetic performances in the semi-finals and failed to deliver in the finals.

We will highlight the previous matches in the England vs South Africa fairy tale that has taken yet another drastic turn, with the two set to rumble in a high-profile encounter in the semi-final clash of the ongoing Rugby World Cup.

England played South Africa at the World Cup in the 2019 World Cup final. The match came after England had delivered their best-ever performance at the World Cup when they beat New Zealand in the semi-final, winning 19 – 7. The Lions then turned up for the finals low on energy, particularly in the scrum, having given their all in the last four.

On this day, a year ago, the Springboks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time, after defeating England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. 🏆🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/m3BqnsxH9w

— L E S E D I (@_Hybreed_) November 2, 2020

South Africa will be more confident heading to this year’s semi-final encounter with an experienced squad, with thirteen players featured in the 2019 finals likely to play a part in this year’s semi-finals. The Springboks won the match 32 – 12, and this semi-final will be intriguing to see if England can generate enough muscle to match the reigning champions in a semi-final that would feel like the final.

The two sides met in the 2021 Autumn International games, that were played at the Twickenham Stadium in London. England won the first match on November 20, and South Africa won the second on 26th November at the same venue.

The other significant encounter was the 2007 World Cup final, where South Africa beat England 15 – 6 at the Stade de France. The Springboks won their second title, following the footsteps of Australia (1991, 1999), setting themselves on their path to becoming one of the best sides in international rugby.

2023 Rugby World Cup So Far

England had a perfect tournament in France, starting their campaign with a 27-10 win against Argentina and conquering Japan 34 – 12 in their second. The Lions had a confidence-winning match against Chile, thumping them 71 – 0 before securing the knockout phase with a narrow 18 – 17 win against Samoa. The knockout match against Fiji was a real scare, managing a 30 – 24 victory to book the semi-final clash with the reigning Champions. England’s journey now faces a tough challenge against a team they have not found joy against, mainly because they have lost two World Cup final matches.

South Africa’s defense of their title could have gone smoother. They finished second in their group behind the eventual group winners, Ireland, winning three and losing one of the four group games.

They opened their campaign with an 18 – 3 win against Scotland before a landslide 76 – 0 win against Romania in their second. The Springboks then faced a tough challenge against Ireland, losing 13 – 8, but came back strong with a 48 – 18 win against Tonga that guaranteed their qualification to the knockout phase as the runners-up for their group.

Finishing second means they met the winners of Group A, who doubled up as the hosts, which proved to be their toughest test. In what was a battle in front of a hostile crowd, South Africa went ahead to beat France 29 – 28.

Rugby World Cup 2023 England v South Africa – Team Analysis

In this next section, I will list the England and South Africa teams;

The England Team Composition

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

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

Owen Farell started at fly-half against Fiji for the sixth time but has been more productive at the inside centre. Ben Earl is the player to watch for England, leading the team in tackles (forty-four) and ball carries (thirty-seven). He is third-best in line breaks (three), beating defenders ten times.

Thirteen players featured in the 2019 final are still in the current lineup, including six starters selected in the first fifteen for the semi-final. They include George, Itoje, Curry, Lawes, Sinckler, Cole, Daly, Farrell, Marler, Tuilagi, May, and Vunipola. It was a landmark moment for Owen Farrell, writing his name among the greatest to lead England to the consecutive World Cup semi-finals.

The South Africa Team Composition

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

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

South Africa will be fielding a strong, experienced side with six players (Roux, Damian, Pollard, Malherbe, Etzebeth, and Vermeulen) who will be hoping to be involved in their third consecutive Rugby World Cup semi-final match, having featured in the 2015 and 2019 editions. Thirteen players from the last edition final against England are in the current Springboks squad, with eight starting (Kolisi, Kolbe, Vermeulen, Allende, Etzebeth, Steph, Mbonambi).

Captain Siya Kolisi will captain South Africa to their eleventh test to equal John Smit’s record. The player to watch for the encounter is Eben Etzebeth, who has three tries in the last eight games and the most tackles for his side at the World Cup (seven) at the World Cup. Kurt-Lee Arendse has thirteen tries in thirteen tests, including one in the quarter-finals against the hosts, and will be one to watch in this game.

2023 Rugby World Cup England v South Africa Betting Odds

In this section, I’ll explore the latest England v South Africa betting odds.

The most exciting market for the semi-final will be who wins the encounter. South Africa are favourites with the betting odds of 2/13, with a win for England set at 9/2 with a draw set at 28/1.

2023 Rugby World Cup England v South Africa Match Handicap Betting Odds

With the odds so stacked in South Africa’s favour, a betting market that might appeal is the handicap betting one. As the name suggests, you give one team an advantage by handicapping the other. For example, bet365 is offering to boost England’s score by 13.5 and offer the win at 17/20.

This advantage means that if South Africa was to win by a scoreline of 12, your bet would be settled as a winner if you had backed England. On the flip side, if you back South Africa in the betting handicap market, South Africa would need to win by over 14 points for the bet to win.

2023 Rugby World Cup England v South Africa Over/Under Odds

Another popular market at the best UK betting sites is predicting if the total score for both teams will be more than (Over) or less than (Under) a specified total. One of the reasons punters like it is that it is very forgiving. It doesn’t matter if one team wins 44-0 or the game finishes 22-22. Both would be enough to win the Over bet.

The odds for the score are set at 17/20 for forty-four points and over and 10/11 for forty-three and under.

The showdown between England and South Africa is scheduled for Saturday evening, October 21, at Stade de France. The live broadcast of the match will commence at 7:15 p.m. on ITV and will also be available for streaming on the ITV X platform.