Sir Clive Woodward may have given South Africa the ammo to demolish England

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Rugby World Cup: Semi-final previews

Sir Clive Woodward may have inadvertently given South Africa an additional edge ahead of this weekend’s Rugby World Cup semi-final against England. The Springboks will go into the match as heavy favourites, while England will be the firm underdogs in a repeat of the 2019 final that went against Steve Borthwick’s men.

Woodward, who led England to their only Rugby World Cup triumph back in 2003, has upped the stakes ahead of kick-off by criticising several aspects of the Springboks team. Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, he questioned their collective fitness and tactical approach to matches, which often sees delaying used as a tool to disrupt the tempo.

“I believe South Africa aren’t as fit as England, even with their replacements,” said Woodward. “The Springboks look to slow the game down at every opportunity. They rotate their side, and their backroom team are constantly on the field bringing on water.

“England need to counter that. When South Africa look to slow things down, England need to speed it up. At line-outs and scrums, get the ball gone.”

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Woodward went on to suggest that France fell into a trap against South Africa in the quarter-finals last weekend, explaining: “The Boks rely on playing the game on their terms. France were unrecognisable in the second half of their quarter-final. They were dragged into South Africa’s game plan and found it impossible to inject the pace they love.

“Whatever happens, it’s also crucial England don’t panic. These matches are normally very tight, so the key is that they stay in the contest.”

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It remains to be seen whether Woodward’s pre-match criticism of South Africa will come back to haunt England when the two sides face each other this weekend. It could provide the Springboks with the perfect team talk to get them fired up before the match, although they are unlikely to need any extra motivation against the side they comfortably beat in the 2019 final.

The mind games were ignited earlier this week by Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who suggested that England’s more experienced players will have ‘beef’ to settle as a result of their previous defeat in Japan four years ago.

“They have so many experienced players that played against us last time,” he said. “I think because they’ve played us in the World Cup final they will have some beef with us. I think they will be very physical, they will definitely step it up at all set phases.”

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