"Stop the Springboks" 3 Key Battles for England vs South Africa - Rugby World Cup Semi-Final

England take on South Africa this Saturday evening, for a seismic semi-final clash in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. England remain as the only unbeaten side in the tournament, whilst South Africa proved that they are in fact vincible, after a 13-8 pool stage defeat to Ireland, just over three weeks ago.

Granted, England's 30-24 win over Fiji was an impressive quarter-final triumph, however it can be said that Steve Borthwick's side have had a more straight-forward run to the semi-finals, than their Springbok opponents. South Africa bounced back from their defeat to Andy Farrell's men to progress as Pool B runners-up, before beating France 29-28 in what was the match of the tournament, so far.

We are now down to just four teams, with New Zealand and Argentina the additional semi-finalists on the opposite side of the bracket. England will have to fight tooth and nail against the Springboks, if they want to be set for a run-in with either the All Blacks or Los Pumas on October 28th. Historically, Rugby World Cup encounters between England and South Africa have favoured the Springboks. South Africa have beaten England in four out of five previous Rugby World Cup meetings, including the 2019 and 2007 Rugby World Cup Finals.

The odds seemed stacked against England, yet Borthwick's men could well relish in their underdog status, and pull off an incredible upset for a spot in the Rugby World Cup Final. However, if they want to do just that, they will have to win some key battles across the full 80 minutes in the Stade de France. Here are our picks for the three key battles between England and South Africa.

1. FLY HALF: Owen Farrell vs Handre Pollard / Manie Libbok

Both England and South Africa have undergone fly-half selection sagas, throughout their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaigns. However, both sides now seem to have a clear halfback as their go-to, with the battle lines all but drawn for this showdown between two of the world's best number 10s. Starting with South Africa, the Springboks suffered a heavy injury blow ahead of the competition, as Handre Pollard was side-lined with a calf problem.

Stomers' star Manie Libbok took centre stage in Pollard's absence, yet drew unwanted attention with poor performances from the kicking tee. Libbok's inaccuracy at the posts drew heavy criticism, and was targeted as a contributing factor towards the Springboks' defeat to Ireland. However, an unfortunate injury to 'Boks winger Makazole Mapimpi opened up the door for Pollard's return, and the Leicester Tigers man happily obliged.

Pollard made a key replacement appearance against France, took the reins from Libbok, and slotted the match-winning penalty in the do-or-die quarter-final. Regardless as to whether Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber utilise Pollard from the off, or add him into their explosive substitute 'bomb squad', the halfback will bring a cool head and ice-cold skills to the fiery semi-final clash, with all eyes on him to see his Springboks through to victory.

Expected to go tee-to-tee with Pollard is England captain Owen Farrell. The Saracen emerged above the halfback parapet with a stunning quarter-final performance, with George Ford now expected to take a seat on the bench for this weekend's semi-final. Farrell brings an added level of physicality to the fray, and is more comfortable in contact than either of Libbok or Pollard. With his Northern Rugby League grit, Farrell is a born leader of men, and won't hesitate to put his body on the line for the win.

The lesser of two evils for England fans would be to see Manie Libbok start the match, as Farrell will have the edge in terms of place kicking and shots at goal. Libbok's 2023 goal kicking record ahead of the Rugby World Cup was just 65.7%, and throughout the tournament he's kicked 6 out of 12 penalties (50%) and 2 out of 5 conversions (40%). Comparatively to Farrell, the Saracen has slotted 10/15 conversions (66%) and 7 out of 9 penalties (77%). Farrell also proved that he possesses Ford's skills at the drop goal, as he sent a nice three-pointer through the posts against Fiji.

In how the Springboks have Pollard and Libbok at their disposal, Borthwick has plentiful options for fly-half with Farrell, Ford and Marcus Smith all capable of stealing the show against South Africa. Rugby World Cup semi-finals often come down to the finest margins, and all three of England's fly-halves have the skillset to find an opening. Also, never count-out Elliot Daly to send a long-range match-winning effort sailing through the uprights for England .

With all of the excitement that comes with the showboating skills of the back-line, there is a power battle set to ensue between the English and South African packs. There is no underplaying the significance of the Springbok's front-row 'Bomb Squad' from the substitutes bench, but we've focussed on a battle that is likely to last the full 80 minutes at the Stade de France.

Second row superstars Maro Itoje and Eben Etzebeth are set to collide in Paris, in a crucial battle within the semi-final war. Rewind back to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, and Itoje and Etzebeth were both at the peak of their powers. The duo were inseparable in the discussion regarding the world's best lock, yet in the past World Cup cycle, Itoje's stock had dwindled slightly, with under-par performances by his standards, in the recent Six Nations campaigns.

Whilst Etzebeth continued to rule the roost, the Saracen had been steadily kicking through his gears and looks to have hit his full stride, ahead of this weekend's all-important semi-final. Itoje showed glimpses of his elite best in the campaign opener against Argentina, and certainly reached top form with an excellent run out against Fiji. Itoje made 11 tackles and bossed the breakdown against the Pacific Islanders, with key turnovers made to halt the Fijian's attacking momentum.

He also showcased his presence in attack, making 69 metres with the ball in hand. Itoje's stand-out moment last weekend in Marseille was an epic intercept breakaway, that saw the towering lock stride away down-field and hand a big fend to a Fijian defender. Etzebeth is ready for the physical battle, after making a swift recovery from a shoulder injury he sustained in the Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland. RG Snyman provided a more than capable stand-in, and bossed two pool stage matches, whilst Etzebeth made his recovery.

The Sharks man is now back fully-fit and firing, with a stand-out quarter-final performance of his own against France. The lock battled through the boos, which rang out in the Stade de France every time he got the ball following his return from the sin bin. Etzebeth stepped into the villain's role for the matches' latter stages, and ensured that Les Bleus had anything from a happy ending. Etzebeth powered through the wall of Blue bodies, to score a key try in South Africa's eventual pursuit of victory.

Etzebeth made 10 tackles and six carries against France, and battled Fabien Galthie's men at the breakdown for the duration of his run-out. It is sizing up to be an immense clash in the second row when these two titans of international rugby collide, and the Stade de France could well need re-enforcements to contain these two titanic packs.

Another immense contest in this weekend's Rugby World Cup semi-final comes in the back row, between England's Ben Earl and South Africa's Duane Vermeulen. The two powerhouses come into the match with polarising international tenures. Vermeulen is looking for back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles to send him off into retirement, whilst Earl is making his mark, having been overlooked by the England set-up for far too long in his career.

Earl has battled his way into the England team, after repeated set-backs during the Eddie Jones era. He got his long awaited break-through in the 2020 Six Nations, but had fallen out of the international fold entirely, by the 2022 Championship. Earl more than proved his point by winning the 2021/22 Premiership Player of the Year Award, beating the likes of Danny Care and George Ford to the prestigious prize.

However, despite his best efforts, it took a changing of the management to bring Earl into the England set-up. Steve Borthwick called upon the Saracen for his 2023 Six Nations squad, and awarded him two caps to find his feet in the England pecking order. However, it took a suspension to Saracens' teammate Billy Vunipola for Earl to excel, as Borthwick ran the predominant flanker out at number eight in the Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina. Earl bossed the match against Los Pumas, and has not looked back since.

Earl played a storming match against Argentina, and has been a stand-out feature of ever Rugby World Cup game he's since played in. His best performance in an England shirt came last weekend against Fiji, as he made 14 carries and 11 tackles against the Pacific Islanders, for a Man of the Match showing. He's certainly hit top gear in time for the semi-finals, with veteran Springbok Vermeulen set for a fiery confrontation with his opposite man.

Whilst 25-year-old Earl has his eyes on being Vunipola's successor in the England eight jersey, 37-year-old Vermeulen wants the perfect end to his last ride with the Springboks. Having left Ulster at the end of the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship season, Vermeulen is yet to sign with a new club, and has hinted at taking up a coaching role following the Rugby World Cup. The 63-capped Springbok was an integral part of the South African side which won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with his bruising carries and defensive work rate being stand out aspects of his game.

Vermeulen also brings a level head to the Springboks team, and was recently praised by South Africa legends Victor Matfield and Schalk Burger, on how he calmly organised his troops in the narrow quarter-final win over France. Contrastingly, Earl relishes the little victories that contribute to a win, with every penalty getting a resounding cheer, be it at the breakdown, maul or at scrum-time. Call it over-celebrating, or call it passion, Earl ignites a frenzy within his England teammates, that helps them win the mental battle.

Vermeulen will be aware of this. The veteran knows all the tricks in the book, and could well be out to get under the skin of his opposition eight-man. The Springboks are fabled for their a regimented assaults in attack, and industrial-strength defence with Vermeulen at the helm. This Saturday's semi-final has the Springboks running out as favourites, however a fired up Ben Earl will be out to change the narrative, and lead the fight for England to reach back-to-back Rugby World Cup Finals.