Heart-stopping Boks did us proud as they head for clash with All Blacks

Thank goodness the Springboks’ intense one point World Cup Rugby semifinal triumph over England in Paris was on a Saturday night, and not a Sunday like their quarterfinal a week ago against France.

The last thing our economy – and our health for that matter – needs is a stressful start to the week. On Saturday, the Springboks somehow found a way to beat England 16-15 after being outplayed for most of the 80 minutes.

Down to the wire

It took a try by replacement lock RG Snyman, and a conversion and 50m penalty from Handre Pollard, coming off the bench before halftime, in the dying minutes to ensure they kept alive their dream of winning the World Cup for a record fourth time.

They will now face the All Blacks, also searching for a fourth Rugby World Cup title, in Saturday’s final in a repeat of when they played them in their first World Cup in 1995. For the second week in a row, Siya Kolisi’s Springboks won by a solitary point, testing even their most loyal supporter’s health as the match went down to the wire.

England, the only northern hemisphere team to win the Webb Ellis Cup, dominated the Boks in most facets of play and prevented the defending champions from playing their dominant style of rugby. It took a mighty effort from the Springbok bench, and a magnificent kick from Pollard to book their place in the final.

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Fans

SA’s legion of supporters could at least spend a relaxed Sunday, nursing their tender heads after a night of celebrations after a match that was classic Test rugby.

Kolisi said: “It was really ugly, but that is what champions are made of. Credit to England. They were written off before the World Cup but pulled themselves together. But we found a way to fight back into the game.”

The question now remains: can the Springboks once again dig deep for a third straight week? A country, though, is super proud of their warriors, regardless of what happens on Saturday.

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