England v South Africa LIVE: Rugby World Cup 2023 score and result as Springboks snatch win at the death
Steve Borthwick’s England were agonisingly beaten by reigning champions South Africa to a spot in the 2023 World Cup final where the All Blacks await
England suffered defeat in the most agonising circumstances as world champions South Africa emerged victorious at the Stade de France to set up a colossal Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand. Steve Borthwick’s men performed admirably and executed a sublime game plan, backing up their quarter-final victory over Fiji behind the magnificent kicking of Owen Farrell.
But the Springboks showed their resilience and rallied late in the second half, also relying on kicking, with Handre Pollard, on after half an hour following a ruthless move to hook the struggling Manie Libbok, shining and subsequently hitting the match-winning penalty. South Africa scored the only try of the match, with RG Snyman bundling over with 12 minutes remaining, cutting the deficit to just two points and allowing Pollard to snatch victory and ensure a mouthwatering encounter with the All Blacks.
Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi admitted the contest was a tough watch at times: "It was ugly today, really ugly, but that's what champions are made of. England, credit to them, they were written off. They showed who they are. All credit to them, my team, it was ugly, but we found a way to fight and get back into the game. I'm really proud of them, especially the guys who came off the bench.
“England did so well in the kicking game, they outplayed us in that, our discipline was awful. But we showed who we are and what we can do. The All Blacks are playing really well, but we want to thank the South Africans who stuck with us and travelled over, next week will be tough, it'll be special, hopefully we can defend it.” Follow all the reaction and analysis from a pulsating semi-final below.
South African head coach Jacques Nienabe speaks
“I want to start with credit to England, I thought they were outstanding on the night. They had us under a lot pressure and it took something special to unlock their defence to get a try to get us back in the game.
“We needed some energy, that is why we decided to bring the bench on. We are fortunate that there is not a lot of difference between the guys who start and the guys on the bench.”
He says South Africa will need to score 35 points to compete with the All Blacks in the final next Saturday.
The moment South Africa clinched victory in Paris
That final moment, here, when Billy Vunipola’s knock on brought the game to an end and sealed South Africa’s one-point victory:
England suffer agonising defeat after South Africa’s gutsy call delivers knockout blow
And here’s Harry Latham-Coyle’s match report on that tense semi-final, from Paris, where South Africa’s bold decisions ultimately helped them over the line:
England suffer agonising loss after gutsy Springboks call delivers knockout
England 15-16 South Africa: Handre Pollard, sent on after Manie Libbok’s tough 30-minute display, delivered a clutch kick at the death to deny a brave performance from Steve Borthwick’s side
And beaten captain Owen Farrell adds
“I’m sat here disappointed but unbelievably proud of what this group has done over the last five months together. It’s not gone all our way, but to build up to a performance like today, and ultimately come up just short against a great team like South Africa...I’m sat here disappointed but proud.
“I felt like we were playing well. We were playing to our plan and showing what we were capable of. To do that in a semi-final is exactly what you want. We thought we’d done enough to win but South Africa had something to say about that.”
England head coach Steve Borthwick reacts to his side’s defeat
“I thought the whole team performance was strong,” Borthwick says. “We came here with a plan to win the game and we came up a little bit short. Not far short, but short.
”If you look at the team, in that 23 today we had seven players who are 25 or under. That’s the most of any of the semi-finalists. There is a great blend within this squad and there will be lots we take going forward. We put ourselves in a position to win the game against the defending champions and the world number one.”
England pack earn World Cup redemption but suffer new Springboks heartbreak
Our reporter Luke Baker at the Stade de France tonight, on England’s forwards finding redemption even in defeat:
England pack earn World Cup redemption but Springboks deliver new heartbreak
The humiliation suffered by the English forwards in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final was banished but they still couldn’t prevent a cruel semi-final defeat to South Africa in Paris
An emotional Freddie Steward: ‘Sport’s cruel sometimes'
“Disappointment, but proud at the same time,” he says of his feelings at full-time. “We were written off before this game but that performance showed how tight this group is. It’s a shame we couldn’t get over the line, but full credit to South Africa, they fought to the end and got the win. We lost a bit of dominance at the set-piece and they took advantage of that.
“Sport’s cruel sometimes, we were so close, there’s a lot of emotion among the group tonight. There’s a great blend of experience, some boys who’ve probably had their last dance tonight, and there’s others who will push on for another opportunity and we’ll make sure we’ll get the win in the end.”
England head coach Steve Borthwick speaks
“Immense credit to South Africa, they had to come back again and find a way to win, and they did that. They’re not the world’s No1 team for nothing. From our point of view, we’re really proud of our performance. There were a few things that went wrong in the second half… but it’s too early to start analysing the game.”
He points out that England had the largest crop of players 25 or under among the four semi-finalists, and says they have a bright future.
England captain Owen Farrell hails ‘top-class’ Pollard
“I’ve seen [Pollard] do that a few times, he’s top class, that’s a clutch kick if ever I’ve seen one so fair play to him. We can sit here and pick at anything, my overriding feeling is not so much about the game, how proud I am of the group. The last five months, it’s not gone all our way, the fight they’ve shown. The sheer will, it was outstanding.”
Full-time: England 15-16 South Africa
It is hard to say if the bold substitution of Handre Pollard for a wayward Manie Libbok after only half an hour was decisive. Certainly, Pollard was hugely influential in the final minutes, with a long kick to the corner and with that nailed penalty at the death. Then again, he would have surely come on to the pitch at some point in the second half anyway.
Lots of the talk this week will be about which fly-half starts the final.
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