England will not lack any motivation on Saturday evening when they come up against the Springboks. The 2019 World Cup final defeat to South Africa still stings for many in this squad and that is motivation enough. The challenge for England is that the 2023 version of the Springboks is better than the 2019 vintage. England has done enough to get through to the semi-finals and they are progressing. On Saturday, they will need to go up a couple of notches. Put simply England needs to play the game of their lives. Charlie Inglefield looks at the possible selection calls that Steve Borthwick may assess this week.
England’s reality
England have done well to get to the semi-finals of a World Cup. As the well-known expression states ‘You can only play what is in front of you’. Five wins on the trot have seen England go from a team in complete disrepair into a team who have become hard to beat. Yes, they are not going to be the most popular team in the tournament, but nobody can deny their resilience and ability to find a way to win. Borthwick, England’s coach deserves great credit for building a team that can compete in the space of under a year. Those are the positives.
And then there is the reality that England needs to play the game of their lives to win. The likes of Joel Stransky, a former World Cup winner, have made it abundantly clear that England are no chance of upsetting the Springboks. He has a point if one delves into the realities of what England will be up against on Saturday evening. South Africa were utterly brutal against France, with their renowned bench led by Kwagga Smith fuelling the eventual demise of a mighty French pack. It wasn’t just the forwards who fronted up in their usual way but the backs also.
The likes of Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse were breathtaking. This is where South Africa have improved considerably since their 2019 triumph. They are not a one-trick pony of power – they also have threats all over the place out wide. So, what does England need to do to give themselves a chance? It starts with the selection of their starting First XV.
Steve Borthwick has to continue rolling the selection dice
Borthwick showed last week that he is not afraid to make the big calls. This week against South Africa he will need to do so again. Picking the same First XV would be folly given the Springbok firestorm that England will walk into at the Stade de France on Saturday night. To the forwards first, obviously England’s set-piece is going to be targeted. It is South Africa’s biggest strength without question. Therefore three players potentially come into the reckoning for England. Lewis Ludlam, George Martin and Joe Marler.
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Martin has gone well in the cameos he has had in this tournament so far. He is a big lad who can smash opponents out of the way in the ruck. Martin is good across the ground with his work-rate and can lend his weight to the set-piece. He might be in line to start at Ollie Chessum’s expense. Marler’s scrummaging ability must be considered as well. He will not pull up trees in the loose but Marler can potentially get parity against the enormous Springbok front row. It also brings in the possibility of Kyle Sinckler coming in, although that would be harsh given how good Ellis Genge was against Fiji.
The other possible pick is to start with Lewis Ludlam in the back-row. Perhaps unluckily Ludlam has fallen behind Billy Vunipola in England’s match-day squad. As effective as Vunipola can be, he has not provided the work-rate that will be needed in a World Cup Semi-Final. When Big Billy is firing it is because he is constantly involved – at the moment his impact as a replacement has been quiet. It goes without saying how important the role of the respective benches will play on Saturday night. With Ludlam you get a thunderous ball of energy in his carries and his defence. Tom Curry may be a surprise omission if Borthwick goes down that line.
Henry Arundell to provide the x-factor
Stransky had a valid point in his dissection of where England is currently at. It won’t be enough to beat South Africa with the traditional English tactical kicking/exert pressure game. They need to find something else to threaten the Springbok line. Depending on whether one believes the rumours, Henry Arundell and Farrell had a spat which has seen the former jettisoned entirely from England’s match-day squad. It would seem that Arundell is on the outer at the moment. England fans will hope not.
Arundell credentials make him by far England’s most exciting player. He has searing pace, incredible movement without dropping his speed and is x-factor. Arundell has similar abilities to that of the Springbok winger, Arendse and Kolbe. They don’t come much bigger than a World Cup Semi-Final against the current world champions. It is the perfect setting to unleash Arundell in place of Jonny May. England must score tries because you can bet your bottom dollar that the Springboks will. France troubled South Africa when the ball was given some air and more importantly when they moved the point of attack away from the Springboks’ renowned rush defence.
Stick with Marcus Smith at Full-back
Daly’s versatility and boot sees him keep his spot on the wing and Arundell can be free to roam on the other wing. His defence may not be top notch but what he can offer in attack is something special.
Then there is the question of whether Freddie Steward comes back in the number 15 jersey. This author feels that Marcus Smith should start again at full back. Like Arundell, Smith offers a different point of attack for England. He is brave as shown with the multiple bangs he took against the Fijians last Sunday. Smith also allows Farrell a bit of breathing space to provide different options out-wide for England. Steward could be on the bench to provide that security at the back if England needs it. England need to play the game of their lives to win on Saturday evening – Smith and Arundell are both capable of splitting the Springboks open.
England need to play the game of their lives
Borthwick essentially has a free shot this weekend. Former England fly-half Paul Grayson was talking about how England can play without pressure. Nobody will back them and that should given Borthwick some breathing space for the first time since he took the job as England coach. His players will of course not lack any motivation – they have copped so much criticism these last few months and his job will be to fuel that anger and frustration into a performance on Saturday night.
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One of England’s greatest matches was that 2019 Semi-Final against the All Blacks in Yokohama. England will need to go up a level from that famous night. The Springboks are that good now. England will need superhuman performances from Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, Jamie George and Maro Itoje. They are the leaders for this England team. Borthwick will do all of his analysis and will hopefully keep Marcus Smith at full-back, and bring in Arundell. England need to play the game of their lives if they are to win on Saturday evening.
Potential England starting line-up
15. Marcus Smith
14. Henry Arundell
13. Joe Marchant
12. Manu Tuilagi
11. Elliot Daly
10. Owen Farrell (C)
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Joe Marler
2. Jamie George
3. Kyle Sinckler
4. Maro Itoje
5. George Martin
6. Courtney Lawes
7. Lewis Ludlam
8. Ben Earl
Replacements: Danny Care, George Ford, Ollie Chessum, Ellis Genge, Billy Vunipola, Theo Dan, Dan Cole
Photo credit: Krabiman on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 DEED
