After beating the Blues and then the English, South African supporters believe in a new coronation for the Springboks
Another narrow win for South Africa as they beat England 16-15 in the Rugby World Cup semi-final. The final will pit the Springboks against the New Zealand All Blacks.
The Springboks have done it again. After winning the quarter-finals in the last minute over the French team (29-28), South Africa qualified, on Saturday, October 21, for the World Cup final by defeating the English team (16-15) three minutes before the end of the first half. The match will be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Two decisive matches, two matches won by the defending champions by one point. Despite (or because of) these late victories, South Africans are no longer afraid of anything. Not even the All Blacks, who they will face in the final on Saturday 28 October: “We will settle their accounts.”“, says a Springboks supporter, interviewed by France Info in Johannesburg. He confirms that his face is painted in South African colours, and he wears a hat representing the Arc de Triomphe “Defeat is not an option. We will continue our path until the end.”
What is at stake is achieving a record: winning the Rugby World Cup for the fourth time, after winning it in 1995, 2007 and 2019. South Africa wants to consolidate its dominance.
“We are on our way to winning our fourth title! No one has ever done that before. It will be the second in a row.”
A Springbok supporterIn France Info
Fans remember the Springboks’ (35-7) victory over the New Zealanders in August in England during a warm-up match. But since then, the All Blacks have shown a completely different side: “Unlike what we saw at Twickenham a few months ago, the All Blacks will have to be relentless this time.”
This does not scare another fan who bets on a close match… before his team wins: “We’ve just had a tough fight to win, while New Zealand enjoyed an easy game against Argentina. I’m South African, and I’ll support the Springboks to the end, but… it’s going to be a close game.”
South Africa are now used to closing matches, especially in this 10th World Cup. In Johannesburg, the most optimistic see this experience as useful.
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