Steve Borthwick’s side were superior in the Rugby World Cup semi-final, but that counted for little on a night of twisted logic
England's Jamie George is consoled by Steve Borthwick after the agonising defeat to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-final.England's Jamie George is consoled by Steve Borthwick after the agonising defeat to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-final.here’s about an hour on the clock at the Stade de France, and the World Cup semi-final has gone missing. I mean this quite literally. Theis, simply put, not there.
South Africa came prepared for a conventional brawl, but it’s very hard to exert pressure on something that isn’t there. Even the referee, Ben O’Keeffe, seems to have been swept into the vortex, and has essentially started running the game on vibes and twitches. And all the while, the clock is ticking.
So, Rassie Erasmus, what’s the traffic light signal for “we’re screwed”? Certainly nobody could accuse South Africa’s director of rugby of sitting on his hands. The 10-man lineout has been tried and discarded. Manie Libbok has been hooked after half an hour and is now sitting disconsolately on the bench staring into space. The hapless Cobus Reinach and Damian Willemse have followed him off. A cooked Eben Etzebeth soon after that, and then a cooked Kolisi.
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