The Rugby Spectator

  The following article is likely to annoy England fans, and by extension, their New Zealand counterparts. It will leave the South African rugby community breathing a sigh of relief long after the fact. Don’t say you have not been warned. And it is meant in good fun. It’s the 57 th minute of the second 2023 Rugby World Cup semifinal between England and South Africa at the Stade de France in Paris. Surprisingly, the Red Roses are in a deserved 15-6 lead over the off-colour and increasingly desperate Springboks, and have earned themselves a scrum six metres away from the defending champions’ tryline. The momentum is with England, and one can sense that any score by Steve Borthwick’s men – a try, a penalty or a drop goal – will kill off any South African hopes of winning the match. And then one of the most important scrums in Springbok history occurs, as Retshogofaditswe 'Ox" Nche and company absolutely crunch England's chassis when it matters most. At the end of a victo...