Ollie Chessum insists that while Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa leaves no margin for error, it is also “scary” how much England can improve.

Only England still possess an unbeaten record amongst the teams in the last four after they came through a tense encounter with dangerous Fiji to set-up a rematch of the 2019 final.

They face one of the great Springbok sides who are aiming to clinch successive world titles – an achievement only New Zealand have managed in the past – but Chessum believes the best is yet to come from Steve Borthwick’s men.

“It’s as simple as if you don’t turn up you haven’t got a shot – not against these big teams, teams in the semi-finals,” Chessum said.

“If you’re anything less than 100 per cent they’re going to walk all over you. For me I just know I’ve got a job to do and if I don’t do it I’m letting the team down.

“We know what is coming. There is an awareness of their ability, the threats that they pose.

“They play against top-class teams, they play against top players that will target them week-in, week-out and yet they are still able to do what they do. It’s our job to stop that.

“We are improving week-by-week as a group. We were in a strange place in the warm-up games in August.

“But we are starting to figure ourselves out and find our identity. We know what we bring as a team.

“The set-piece is a big part of England’s game and has been for years. And then working for each other.

“Steve has a thing of never stopping and that’s something we’re trying to do.

“We are growing as a team and I think that is a scary thing for any team. We are not the complete article yet but we are winning games.

“It’s been a real growing process and it’s not finished, but we feel like we’re more than capable of doing the job.”

Playing for a nation scarred by a history of racial division, the Springboks are driven by a powerful sense of purpose as revealed by their captain Siya Kolisi, who stated before the 2019 World Cup that “we represent something much bigger than we can imagine”.

England’s ‘why’ may be less profound, but for Chessum it is every bit as motivational heading into a match which South Africa are strong favourites to win.

“We’re doing it for ourselves. We owe it to each other. It has been a long campaign – June 12 was when the group started training. That’s a long time to be together,” Chessum said.

“We’ve seen what we’ve had to go through to get here, the hard work behind the scenes, the things that everyone does for us.

“We’re doing it for ourselves as a group, our families back home and we’re doing it for the country. We’re representing England and we take massive pride in doing that.

“The big motivating, rev-up factor for me is that I’m playing for England, I’m playing for my country at a World Cup, and we’re facing South Africa.

“Every time you’re playing for your country it shouldn’t be that hard to rev yourself up. You’ve got to rise to the challenge.”

Borthwick names his starting XV and bench at lunchtime on Thursday, with the duel between Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward at full-back the biggest talking point.

New Zealand boss Ian Foster has warned his players “not to get softened” by the acclaim which followed their thrilling World Cup win over Ireland ahead of a semi-final showdown with Argentina.

The All Blacks booked a last-four spot by upsetting Andy Farrell’s men with a pulsating 28-24 victory in Paris.

New Zealand return to Stade de France on Friday evening and are red-hot favourites to progress to a final against either England or reigning champions South Africa.

Head coach Foster feels “being patted on the back” following a statement last-eight victory over the Irish derailed the Kiwis in the 2019 tournament and is eager to avoid history repeating itself.

“The best way to recover is to refocus really quickly on what the next challenge is and not to listen too much to any praise you’re given as a group for a performance,” said Foster, who was assistant to Steve Hansen four years ago when New Zealand lost to England in the semi-finals.

“Not to go down that path, not to get softened because everyone’s patting you on the back saying you played well.

“That’s not a good place to be as a team.

“I love the way the team has buckled down, we’ve redefined the challenge for us as a group, we’re not satisfied with where we are now and when you’re clear about your goal for the week the recovery comes along pretty quickly.

“You know that if we’re not right on Friday night at Stade de France, it’s going to be a sad old night and we don’t want it to be like that.

“You get people talking to you about tomorrow and trying to take your eyes off today.

“In 2019 we probably didn’t stop being patted on the back after the quarter-final, hence some of my language today and we’re just trying to dial this back, keep things simple and let’s just worry about Friday.”

New Zealand’s starting XV shows two changes, with wing Mark Telea and lock Sam Whitelock in for Leicester Fainga’anuku and Brodie Retallick.

Telea was dropped for last weekend’s clash with Ireland due to a breach of team protocols.

Foster says the 26-year-old, who has scored three tries in the tournament, has served his punishment.

“That’s the team we think is best for this week,” he said.

“Mark’s done his time. He made a mistake, he accepted what was happening.

“But you don’t linger in that space. He’s been our form winger through this tournament and we really have a lot of faith in him and believe he’s in a good place to play this game.

“It’s a chance for us to get Mark back on the park and I know he’s excited.”

Underdogs Argentina have won two of the past seven meetings between the nations, including a landmark first success on New Zealand soil – 25-18 in Christchurch – in last year’s Rugby Championship.

Foster is braced for a “heck of a game”.

“You’ve never heard us say we’re favourites,” he said. “We know that these games are do-or-die.

“It’s the best team on the night that wins it. We know Argentina has done that to us. We’re not buying into anything about favouritism or underdogs.

“They are perhaps an underrated team worldwide that has got a really rich history of perhaps overachieving at World Cups.

“They have done a fantastic job to get here at the same level as we are. It’s going to be a heck of a game.”

Warren Gatland is to remain as Wales head coach and lead them to the 2027 World Cup.

Gatland placed his future in the hands of the Welsh Rugby Union following his side’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina on Saturday.

The 60-year-old New Zealander, pointing to a break-up clause in his contract, said: “If the union want to get rid of me, that’s up to them.”

But asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether he will stay through to the next World Cup in Australia, Gatland said: “Absolutely. That’s the plan.

“I had a joke with Nigel (Walker, interim WRU chief executive) before and said ‘You can’t get rid of me’.

“I think my contract said if we didn’t get out of the pool they had a clause that said they could get rid of me. I said: ‘If you do want to pay me off that’s up to you’. But I’m excited what we can do as a group.”

Gatland was joined at the press conference by Walker, the former Wales wing who has stood in as WRU interim CEO since the end of January and will become the executive director of rugby at the start of next year.

Walker said: “To be successful in international sport you have to have good coaches and good players.

“To be a good coach you need experience, miles on the clock, understand your craft, get your message across to players, and players have to trust you.

“You’ve seen the growth in the squad in a relatively small period of time and, like Warren, I’m really excited what the next four years can bring.

“We’ve got something to build on and we know we can grow the standard of the squad to an even greater level we saw over the last four or five weeks.”

Wales were written off by many before the World Cup after a difficult 12 months, which saw them suffer an embarrassing defeat to Georgia and head coach Wayne Pivac sacked in December.

Gatland, who coached Wales between 2007 and 2019, returned to oversee a Six Nations campaign that produced only one victory after the players had threatened to take strike action over contractual issues.

Ken Owens, captain in that campaign, described Wales as the “laughing stock” of world rugby, but Gatland believes Wales will move forward after topping their World Cup pool with wins over Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal.

“We’ve got an opportunity to bring some youngsters in and build on the cycle to 2027 with players having 50, 60, 70 caps behind them,” said Gatland, who became the first coach in France to lead a team to four World Cup quarter-finals.

“There’s also an opportunity for us to build some closer relationships with the regions and some of the changes with coaches and personnel there, and that hasn’t always been the case in the past.

“Often those relationships have been quite fractured because of things that were going on between the regions and the unions, and we got dragged into it.”

Wales play the Barbarians in Cardiff on November 4 as a tribute to their former captain Alun Wyn Jones, who retired from international rugby in May.

Players based in France and England will not be selected as the game falls outside the international window.

Gatland confirmed five players – Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies, Josh Adams, Liam Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit – are injured and would have missed out on a World Cup semi-final against New Zealand this Friday had they beaten Argentina.

Biggar has retired from international rugby and played his last game for Wales, while Taulupe Faletau’s future will become clearer next year.

The 32-year-old British and Irish Lions number eight broke his arm against Georgia and missed the Argentina defeat.

Gatland said: “I spoke to Taulupe before he left France and said ‘get that arm fixed’. We’ll sit down then and talk about what he wants to do over the next few years in terms of playing.”

England second row Ollie Chessum insists revenge is not a motivating factor for Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa.

The rivals collide for the sixth time in the tournament’s history with the most recent of those meetings taking place in Yokohama four years ago when Eddie Jones’ side were toppled 32-12 in the final.

Having demolished New Zealand a week earlier, England were expected to topple the Springboks but instead they were off the pace from the start and overwhelmed as a consequence.

There should be at least eight survivors from that starting XV who take the field for the rematch at Stade de France, but Chessum denied there was a score to be settled.

“It hasn’t been mentioned much, certainly by me anyway. I wasn’t here in 2019 so it doesn’t motivate me,” the Leicester second row said.

“We have got a new group of players now who are quite happy to leave that in the past and focus on what we can do as this new England group.”

Predictions of the semi-finals being comprised entirely of Six Nations sides have failed to materialise with England the sole European representative and the only unbeaten team left in the competition.

They face one of the great South Africa sides who have been installed as strong favourites to emulate New Zealand by winning back-to-back World Cups in the wake of their victory over France in the previous round.

Defence coach Kevin Sinfield has said that England were “in awe of the physicality they brought” against the hosts and Chessum insisted the Springboks must be matched in the forward exchanges.

“These are the games you want to be a part of – against the biggest teams on the biggest stage in the biggest competition,” Chessum said.

“They have some unbelievable players in their pack. They bring an exceptional level of physicality. It’s up to us to go out on the weekend and compete against that.

“South Africa are unbelievable across the board and we have got to be the same, if not better.

“We are definitely hoping for another step from us. That’s been the nature of the competition. Week by week we have grown as a group and got better in various aspects of our game.

“It’s important that we bring the physicality, but also the level of execution as well.”

England have a settled team and will make only minimal changes to the starting XV that overcame Fiji in the quarter-finals.

The biggest area of debate is at full-back where Steve Borthwick is weighing up the high ball and positional expertise of Freddie Steward against the cutting edge in attack provided by Marcus Smith.

Smith, a converted fly-half, has made only two starts and three replacement appearances in the position and his lack of experience could be exposed by South Africa’s accomplished kicking game.

Owen Farrell’s impressive display against Fiji appears to have brought his duel with George Ford for the number 10 jersey to a conclusion, but Kyle Sinckler could return at tighthead prop.

Fly-half Handre Pollard says the pressure of representing South Africa at the World Cup is a privilege as he bids to inflict more misery on England.

Pollard kicked 22 points in the 2019 final to guide the Springboks to glory with a 32-12 win and still remembers the disappointment etched on the faces of Eddie Jones’ men.

The fit-again Leicester playmaker is competing with Manie Libbok to start Saturday’s Paris semi-final after initially being overlooked for his country’s squad due to a calf injury.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup)

Pollard expects England, now led by Jones’ successor Steve Borthwick, to take their intensity and physicality to a “whole new level” but insists the heavily-fancied reigning champions are ready for it.

“You could see on their faces four years ago the disappointment and I’ve been part of a squad that’s fallen out in a semi-final in a World Cup (in 2015) and it sits with you the rest of your life,” he said.

“There’s a lot of things you look back (on) and regret and maybe think you could have done differently, and I’m sure they will come with that mindset this weekend.

“I think they will be ruthless, I think they will take their intensity and physicality to a whole new level.

“But that being said, we’re prepared for that, we’re ready for that and we enjoy that.

“That’s always a part of the game we love and if there’s going to be beef, there’s going to be beef.

“It’s Test rugby, it’s 80 minutes and we’ve just got to go out and play the game.”

South Africa are seeking to reach their fourth World Cup final, having lifted the trophy in 1995, 2007 and 2019.

Pollard believes the Springboks’ enviable ability to deliver when it really matters can partly be attributed to adversity some players face during childhood.

“It’s just the way we’re brought up,” he said. “We love it.

“It’s not always been easy for a lot of our guys in our squad growing up so when we get to this position and get to this point where there should be a lot of pressure on us, we refer back to it a lot, this is not really pressure, this is more privilege to be a part of these occasions.

“I think our game model and the way we play the game suits World Cups pretty well. We’re comfortable in this environment.

“As a group we just enjoy it, really enjoy that pressure. We always say it’s a privilege to have this pressure on our shoulders playing for our country.”

South Africa progressed to the last four by upsetting hosts France 29-28 on Sunday.

That epic contest included Cheslin Kolbe successfully charging down a Thomas Ramos conversion and Damian Willemse calling for a scrum off a mark inside his own 22.

Earlier in the tournament, the Springboks attracted attention for a bold selection of a seven-one split of forwards and backs on their bench for the Pool B loss to Ireland.

Pollard says players fully embrace the innovative tactics cooked up by director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber.

“Nothing that they do is for no reason, it’s all thought of, it’s all tick-list planned,” he said.

“We trust them because they’ve earned our trust over the years from what they’ve done and how they’ve prepared.

“So when they come up with these ideas, there are no questions asked.

“They give us a reason why we do whatever we do and then we just back it and we’re all in and we all just trust each other, players to coaches and coaches to players.”

Marcus Smith is now viewed as a “world class” option at full-back by England after Kevin Sinfield was blown away by his defensive heroics against Fiji.

England are hopeful that Smith will be passed fit for Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa after he was placed on modified training alongside Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes and Dan Cole.

The converted fly-half ended the last-eight victory over Fiji on Sunday with a fat upper lip and bandage around his head after he was the victim of a dangerous tackle by wing Vinaya Habosi, forcing him to depart for an HIA which he passed.

Once again he is competing with Freddie Steward for the number 15 jersey and, after two starts in the position, Sinfield sees a player who has the bravery to match his attacking brilliance.

“We’d all agree he’s a world class 10, but last weekend I felt he was a world class 15 as well,” England’s defence coach said

“You’ve got to remember this guys has played around 100, 120 minutes as a full-back in Test rugby so far.

“What he’s done on the training field for us has been outstanding. You’re blown away by what he does now that he’s being given more time and space.

“If there was any doubt how brave and courageous he is then you saw it with your own eyes. The bloke got his face smashed in and threw his body into tackles.

“The guys are in full admiration for him – he’s just got his face smashed all over the place yet he wants the ball. He’s just a brave guy.

“And not just because he’s physically tough and brave, because to be put on a world stage in a quarter-final and deliver what he delivered was an absolute credit to him. What a great kid.”

Steward was dropped from the 23 against Fiji altogether and now England face the choice of reverting to his high ball and positional expertise or rolling the dice by retaining Smith in the hope he will provide a cutting edge.

South Africa possess a far smarter kicking game that could expose Smith’s inexperience at full-back, pointing to Steward’s likely return when Steve Borthwick names his team on Thursday.

“I’ve worked with Fred for some time now and thankfully I’ve not had to have many of these conversations where I’m trying to pick him up,” Sinfield said.

“Clearly he was disappointed, as anyone would be, missing out on a quarter-final, but he’s responded as we’d expect him to.

“He is a great lad, you know what he’s about, he works incredibly hard at his game, he cares and he is unbelievable full-back too.

“We are in a pretty fortunate position where we have three world class 10s and two world class full-backs.

“Our team has changed every game throughout the World Cup and Steve selects the team he thinks it will give us the best chance of winning that game.

“Just because Fred wasn’t selected last week doesn’t mean he does anything wrong, he has actually done a lot of great things and a lot of things right, but Steve and the coaching team thought it was the right thing to go with Marcus against Fiji.”

Rassie Erasmus expects semi-final opponents England to have “some beef” with South Africa due to their defeat in the final of the last World Cup.

Springboks director of rugby Erasmus began the mind games ahead of Saturday’s Paris showdown by listing Steve Borthwick’s potential team selection.

England are out for revenge after being beaten 32-12 by Erasmus’ side in the 2019 final in Japan when they were coached by Eddie Jones.

Reigning champions South Africa are overwhelming favourites for victory and expected to face New Zealand, who take on Argentina in the other last-four fixture, in the final.

“To talk about the All Blacks would be disrespectful to England because they’re a massive, massive speed bump for us to get over,” said Erasmus.

“More so a pothole than a speed bump because I was just looking at the possible teams I think can play.

“They have so many experienced players that played against us last time.

“I think because they’ve played us in the World Cup final they will have some beef with us. I think they were be very physical, I think they will definitely step it up at all set phases.”

Erasmus moved into his current role after guiding his country to glory at the expense of England four years ago in Yokohama, with Jacques Nienaber replacing him as head coach.

The 50-year-old went into specific statistical detail of the two teams he believes will take to the field at Stade de France.

He then, when prompted, listed England’s possible matchday 23.

“I think we have averaged 200 minutes per player, they 260,” said Erasmus.

“I think the average caps of our team will be about 54, they’ll be about 59. I think the average age of our team is 30, the average age of their team about 29. And then the average weight is 104 (kilograms) and 105.

“England are unbeaten, they stuck to their guns since he (Borthwick) has been appointed, and they kept believing in what they’re doing and it’s paying off.

“You can see their team is full of belief and they will definitely be hurting from not just last year when we beat them (27-13 at Twickenham) but also from the World Cup in 2019.

“So they will be a very, very desperate team and a team which we respect.”

Asked for the England team written down on his sheet of paper, Erasmus replied: “We’re guessing obviously.

“Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Chessum, Lawes, Curry, Earl, Mitchell, Farrell, Daly, Tuilagi, Marchant, May and Marcus Smith or Steward then Marler, Cole, George (Martin), Billy (Vunipola), Ben Youngs or Danny (Care), George Ford and Ollie (Lawrence), that’s who we think.

“But we might be totally wrong.”

Marcus Smith was among a number of players placed on modified training as preparations began for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa, but England are hopeful he will be fit.

Smith ended the last-eight victory over Fiji with a fat upper lip and a bandage on his head after he was the victim of a dangerous tackle by wing Vinaya Harbosi, forcing him to depart for an HIA which he passed.

The Harlequins star, who has been moved from his accustomed position of fly-half for the World Cup, defended bravely on a tense evening at Stade Velodrome and is contention to retain the number 15 jersey ahead of Freddie Steward.

Defence coach Kevin Sinfield insists a clearer picture of his availability will emerge over the coming days after he was joined by Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes and Dan Cole in missing the start of Tuesday’s session.

“Marcus is good. He’s one of those who have been modified today so we’ll get a clearer read in the week, but fingers crossed he will be good to go,” Sinfield said.

England learned on Tuesday that their semi-final will be refereed by Ben O’Keeffe, whose officiating was criticised by France in the wake of their defeat to South Africa on Sunday.

It will be the second time O’Keeffe has overseen a Springboks match at this World Cup after the Kiwi official was in place for their 13-8 defeat by Ireland in the group stage.

South Africa have taken steps to repair their relationships with referees after director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was banned for two months for verbally attacking officials during the 2021 Lions series.

The reigning world champions are among the least penalised teams in the tournament and Sinfield said: “We have full respect for whoever takes charge.

“It’s a big game and I don’t think we’d ever criticise the referee during this campaign. We understand what a tough job it is.

“We are a pretty disciplined team at the minute and it’s something we talk about a lot. We certainly need to be disciplined in a whole host of ways on Saturday evening.”

Sinfield holds South Africa in high regard as the rematch of the 2019 World Cup final looms large, but insists England must also draw strength from their own attributes.

“They are a top team. We saw their quarter-final against France and were in awe of the physicality they brought,” Sinfield said.

“We have the utmost respect for them. We think they are a nation that play the best rugby. They know what they are about and they don’t shy away from it.

“We’re coming up against a team with probably the best defence in the world. They’ve been together a long time and they’re really well drilled. It’s an aggressive defence.

“They are a running threat, they’re a kick threat, they have an incredible set-piece, they have an unbelievable defence – do you want me to keep going?

“It’s important for us to get the balance right this week, understanding what South Africa do and how they play, but also some of our strengths as well.

“I think it would be quite easy for us to be completely blown away by how good they are.”

Eddie Jones has committed his future to coaching Australia and again denied speculation linking him with a return to Japan.

Australia crashed out of the Rugby World Cup at the group stage for the first time after defeats to Fiji and Wales, but the former England coach insists he has no plans to move.

“I’m staying mate,” he told reporters in Australia. “I’ve always been committed to Australian rugby, I want to leave it in a better place, and that’s still the job.

“It’s not absolutely my decision. We play in a game where the coach doesn’t decide how long they stay.

“We’ve got a review going forward and we’ll see what happens at the end of the review.”

Jones, who took over from Dave Rennie in January a month after being sacked by England, said he had “no idea” where the story came from about him speaking to Japan about a coaching role.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone, mate,” he said.

Rugby Australia has announced an independent review into the World Cup performance, but Jones believes his decision to select a young team will pay dividends when Australia hosts the next World Cup in 2027.

“I went to the World Cup, came in (with) a short period of time, had to make a decision on the team, made a decision we needed to go with youth,” he said.

“And whilst, the results at the World Cup weren’t the results we wanted, I think I’ve left the Australian team in a great position to go on to 2027.

“We had the courage to go with a younger squad and I think this squad is going to stand Australia in good stead. We have the nucleus of a really good team.”

He continued: “We just weren’t good enough, mate. You’ve just got to watch the quarter-finals on the weekend.

“We’re not at that level and we can’t pretend to be at that level, but can we be at that level by 2027? Yes we can.”

Ellis Genge believes England enter their World Cup semi-final against South Africa on Saturday with “everyone wanting us to lose”.

England head into the penultimate round as the tournament’s only unbeaten team and as standard bearers for northern hemisphere rugby following the exit of more heralded rivals Ireland, France and Scotland.

Facing them is one of the great Springbok sides, who are strong favourites to triumph in the rematch of the 2019 final, but Steve Borthwick’s men have grown accustomed to being written off.

Genge insists that, while some players will block out any negativity from outside the camp, he will be part of a group who use it as fuel.

“I think it’s probably half and half. I think it’s probably case by case,” the Bristol prop said.

“I quite like the noise and having our backs up against the wall, with everyone wanting us to lose. That probably fuels me a bit. Others are probably better off blocking it out.

“You don’t get any more style points in this. It’s about winning, that’s all we’re focused on. It’s boring I know, but that’s all that matters. Find a way. Whatever way, I’m happy with it.

“We have achieved nothing yet. We have got a semi-final, but you don’t win any medals so we need to knuckle down and do the hard work and what will be will be.”

England advanced to the last four with a gripping 30-24 victory over Fiji, the darlings of the World Cup who were being willed on by neutrals at the Stade Velodrome.

Veterans Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell excelled against the Islanders, yet Genge believes they are the target of animosity – a point underlined when England’s captain Farrell drew boos from sections of the crowd as his name was read out on the PA system while the teams were warming up.

“You look around and we have people like Courtney and people with 300 caps across three players, which is mental, and some of the best players of their generation,” Genge said.

“Right now they are probably the villains because everyone hates on them. Owen, he gets a lot of grief, but you are happy to have him in the team every single time.”

Genge believes Farrell is “big enough to look after himself” in response to the booing, which was in marked contrast to the positive reception that greeted the names of Marcus Smith and George Ford.

Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth sees Farrell’s unpopularity in Marseille as the work of a noisy minority.

“I heard an incredible atmosphere inside the stadium, an amazing amount of support. The minority are always the loudest. They are who you hear,” Wigglesworth said.

“But the majority of people in the stadium, the majority of the people turning up are loving this team and supporting it. I thought they were incredible inside the stadium.”

Rassie Erasmus insists South Africa will not be lulled into complacency by the negativity surrounding the ability of World Cup semi-final opponents England.

The reigning champions are red-hot favourites to win Saturday’s Paris showdown with Steve Borthwick’s side to keep their title defence on track.

England came into the tournament in dismal form and with plenty of fans and pundits predicting a pool-stage exit.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup)

Yet Borthwick’s men are the only unbeaten side still standing and the northern hemisphere’s sole representative in the last four.

While England’s relatively smooth progress has been aided by a favourable route, Springboks director of rugby Erasmus is braced for a “very tough test” and highlighted the similar statistics of the two nations to emphasise his point.

“If we think England is bad because people from outside say that they are not doing well… our reality is the truth, not the reality that people create outside our camp,” he told a media briefing on Monday.

“We know from the Premiership, a lot of our players play against them, and we know Borthwick is an excellent coach which he showed at Leicester and as a captain and a player for England.

“It will be a very tough test against a team that hasn’t lost a game and more or less conceded the same amount of tries and racked up the same amount of points (as us).

“If you look at England, they scored 19 tries and got 180 points and we scored 26 tries and also have 180 points.

“Then if you look on the points conceded side, they’ve conceded six tries, we’ve conceded seven and they’ve conceded 63 points and we’re 62.

“So, you can know how close this game (will be) if you just look at stats – and I know stats don’t always tell the whole picture.”

Three-time winners South Africa set up a rematch of the 2019 final, which they won 32-12, by extinguishing the dream of hosts France.

The Springboks edged an epic Stade de France encounter 29-28 on Sunday evening to replace eliminated group phase rivals Ireland at the top of the world rankings.

“It was two teams that tactically, physically and mentally tried to really push one another to the edge,” Erasmus said of the clash with Fabien Galthie’s men.

“(It was) a relief to beat a team that is so well coached, which afterwards I had a beer with, and I must say the respect that he (Galthie) showed and the way he spoke to us afterwards was really humble and sincere.”

England face South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals on Saturday despite entering the competition amid rock-bottom expectations.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the questions surrounding their bid to relieve the Springboks of their crown.

What has happened?

England being the solitary standard bearers for the northern hemisphere at this stage of the World Cup was a fanciful prospect when they departed for France in late August, yet while France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have fallen around them, they have advanced into the last four as the tournament’s only unbeaten side. It is some turnaround given their tribulations in the build-up.

Why was August so bad?

Maulings by Wales, Ireland and Fiji extended their losing streak to five defeats in six Tests, leading to fears that they would not even emerge from the World Cup’s weakest group. Suddenly clashes with Argentina, Japan and Samoa seemed like mountains to climb. The lowest ebb came in their tournament send-off at Twickenham when Fiji prevailed 30-22 in their first ever victory against England. Expectations were at an all-time low.

How did they turn it around?

Through a combination of good fortune and competence. Fiercest pool rivals Argentina were clueless and were routed even though England had Tom Curry sent off after 179 seconds, while Japan were a shadow of the team that lit up the 2019 World Cup. That meant by the time they faced a brilliant Samoa they had already qualified as group winners. England were blessed by being picked in the easier side of the draw – and there was no easier battleground than Pool D – but they also played smart rugby, faced down adversity and overall struck the right note in selection, even showing a flair for innovation by picking Marcus Smith at full-back that is a credit to the management.

What role has their conditioning played?

For all the despair of August, it is possible to caveat those results as details emerged after England’s arrival in France that the players had been subjected to unusually high training loads during the Test weeks. It drained them of energy, most noticeably against Ireland, with a view to ensuring they would peak for the key group match against Argentina – who they duly battered. The objective then was to be ready for the quarter-final, the stage by which their World Cup success would be judged, and on Saturday they edged a tense battle with Fiji that has provided the required pass mark.

Can they win it?

South Africa’s epic victory over France in the quarter-finals has seen the reigning champions installed as odds-on favourites to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy via a conclusive win over England, but Steve Borthwick’s team have a puncher’s chance. The Springboks are a significant step up in class compared to any opponent they have faced, but England have the muscle to take them on up-front, field some genuine threats in attack – Smith, Ben Earl and Joe Marchant among them – and have developed the priceless knack of finding a way to win. Memories of being overwhelmed in Yokohama in 2019 will drive them on, as will the imminent retirement of a number of long-serving stars, but it remains colossal challenge.

Manie Libbok admitted South Africa will be loaded with confidence going into their World Cup semi-final with England after coming through one of the greatest rugby matches in living memory with a one-point victory over hosts France.

In a titanic quarter-final in Paris on Sunday, the Boks twice came from behind to eke out a 29-28 triumph, ending Les Bleus’ 18-game winning run on home soil and ruining their talismanic captain Antoine Dupont’s much-hyped return from injury.

Having pulled off such a momentous victory, the defending champions are now hot favourites to see off Steve Borthwick’s England at Stade de France next Saturday and reach the final for a second tournament running.

“Obviously we’re going to take a lot of positives out of the game because France are a quality team who have done well over the past few years,” said stand-off Libbok.

“We’ve still got a lot of stuff to work on and rectify for the semi-finals but we can take a lot of confidence from beating France.

“They put us under pressure from the word go and it was really hard. I am very proud of the guys for sticking in there and sticking to our game.

“It definitely felt like a game that could go either way and we came out on the right side of it.”

While supporters inside the stadium and watching on television on Sunday were gripped by a captivating showdown that ebbed and flowed at breakneck pace, Libbok found it a thrill to play in.

“Most definitely it was one of the best games I have ever been involved in,” he said. “It was big, obviously with the crowd as well, it was an amazing atmosphere. I really enjoyed it.”

The drama of the quarter-final showdown was highlighted by a moment in the six-try first half when South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe bolted out to successfully charge down a conversion attempt from Thomas Ramos.

“Cheslin doing that was insane, actually,” said Libbok. “We were very happy for what he did because it took two points away from them and when you look at the result, there was only one point in it, so it was massive from Cheslin.”

Libbok is adamant South Africa will not treat England lightly even though they have been struggling in recent years and are widely deemed to have reached the semi-final mainly due to being in the half of the draw that featured none of the five top-ranked teams in the world.

“England are also a quality team and it’s a play-off so anything can happen,” said the number 10. “It’s important for us to focus on ourselves.

“Recovery is massive now. We have to recover well and prepare well so we are ready to play to the best of our abilities.”

Saturday’s semi-final represents a rematch of both the 2007 and 2019 finals and South Africa scrum-half Faf de Klerk insisted Borthwick’s side should not be underestimated.

“We have played against England a lot. Obviously they have been struggling before the World Cup but they have definitely started to turn things around,” said the 31-year-old, who came off the bench on Sunday to help the Boks see the job through.

“It is going to be a very big, tough challenge, especially with a six-day turnaround. We just have to focus on recovery and make sure we are ready for that.”

Jack Conan says failing to give Johnny Sexton a fairytale farewell at the Rugby World Cup was arguably the most painful aspect of the “toughest” defeat of his career.

Captain Sexton was sent into retirement two games earlier than he had hoped by Saturday evening’s crushing 28-24 quarter-final loss to New Zealand in Paris.

Leinster number eight Conan, who came off the bench against the All Blacks, believes his long-term team-mate for club and country is the “greatest Irish player of all time”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Irish Rugby (@irishrugby)

“I’ve lost a lot of big games in my career but this is definitely the toughest one to take,” he said.

“It’s not lost on us how much sacrifice people made to come and support us. Whether you were here or at home, it has meant the world to all of us and it’s something we spoke about a lot.

“We’re genuinely just gutted that we couldn’t do it for them and that we couldn’t do it for Johnny, someone who deserves so much for the sacrifices he has made, for the player he is and for the man he is, for the leader that he is.

“He has been everything that has been good about Irish rugby for nearly two decades and to not give him the send-off that he deserves is probably the hardest thing to take.

“He is how we measure ourselves, he is the standards setter, he is the leader, he is an unbelievably good bloke on and off the pitch.

“It might be lost on people at times but he cares more than any player I have ever met in any sport I have seen.

“He cares so much and he sacrifices so much and it doesn’t feel right that we couldn’t do it for him.

“In my eyes, he is the greatest Irish player of all time for what he has done and it’s been an incredible joy of mine to play with him for so many years and to have been in so many dressing rooms with him. It’s just not right that we couldn’t do better for him.”

Sexton’s 118th and final match in the green jersey marks the end of an era for Ireland.

Keith Earls is also retiring, while question marks hang over the international futures of other senior members of Andy Farrell’s squad.

Conan intends to carry on but concedes he may not be around for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

“There’s so much talent in the squad and so much belief, maybe in four years’ time we’ll push on and we’ll go all the way,” said the 31-year-old.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Irish Rugby (@irishrugby)

“I don’t know if I’ll be there at that stage but there’s just so much talent coming through and lads will push on to make their debuts and add value to Irish rugby.

“You can’t take (away from) what this squad has done, so many firsts: first Test match victory in New Zealand, first Test series win in New Zealand, first Grand Slam at home, and it’s been a joy to be a small part of it along the way.

“I wouldn’t trade anything for what we’ve been through as a squad. It’s tough to say now but you’d have to think that we’ll be better down the line.

“There will be new faces and new people coming in who will get opportunities to push us forward and I’m hoping I can be a part of it and go on to achieve more, because it’s the greatest joy in my life to pull on this jersey and wear it for the people that helped me to get here to this stage.”

Danny Care is ready for the biggest game of his life when England face South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.

A repeat of the 2019 final will see England arrive at Stade de France on Saturday as the tournament’s solitary remaining unbeaten team.

Four successive pool-stage victories and a quarter-final triumph against Fiji have combined to confound the critics who predicted an underwhelming tournament for Steve Borthwick’s team.

And while reigning world champions South Africa are firm favourites, resilient England remain in the fight.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by England Rugby (@englandrugby)

“We have got two more weeks and a massive game to fly into, which will be the biggest game of my life. I can’t wait,” England scrum-half Care said.

“I think the character of this team was questioned before the World Cup and whether we had anything in us to come out here and do anything.

“Hopefully, we have quietly gone about our business and ticked off a few wins. Four from four in the pools, a fifth in the quarter-final against a team who everybody was saying was going to surprise us and beat us.

“It clicked when we got over here, training went up a notch, perhaps because of the severity of where we were and the realisation that we were at a World Cup – the last one for a few of us, the first for others.

“That mixture came together and we gave it our all. We feel like we deserve to be here. We are going to give it our all next weekend and try and make everyone at home proud.

“We have got a lot of lads who played in the World Cup final four years ago, a lot of lads who have won big trophies, won big games. We will use all of that next week to hopefully get another big win.

“We are delighted to be in the semi-final of this World Cup – one step closer to the dream.”

At 36, Care might be in the twilight phase of a Test career that began 15 years ago, but he has showcased every bit of experience gained from winning 94 England caps.

He followed up scoring the winning try in England’s tense victory over Samoa by being at the forefront of the impressive finale in Marseille that repelled a thrilling Fiji fightback and closed out a 30-24 win.

Owen Farrell’s drop goal and penalty confirmed a semi-final ticket, and Care said of the England captain: “Owen was brilliant, as George (Ford) has been brilliant for four games.

“I have played with Owen for 10-12 years now. His levels never dip, both on the field and off the pitch. He is an unbelievable person, an unbelievable player.

“I still think he won’t get the recognition he properly deserves until he stops playing, which I still find incredible. He is showing again and again what a wonderful world-class player he is. He is a top bloke.”