England beaten by Springboks in semi-final
England lost to South Africa 15-16 in their semi-final clash at Stade de France, and will now play Argentina in the Bronze Medal Match next weekend.
Fifteen points from the boot of captain Owen Farrell was not enough, as the World Champions snatched victory in the final minutes courtesy of a Handre Pollard penalty.
Farrell bagged his first penalty inside the opening two minutes; Pieter-Steph du Toit went off his feet at the breakdown, and allowed the fly-half to fire over the 30-metre effort. The Saracens man doubled England's lead on the 10-minute mark, as the Springboks leaked another ruck penalty close to their posts.
South Africa had two opportunities to convert penalties of their own but turned down the shot at posts, opting to go to the corner, and on both occasions were out-muscled in the subsequent mauls - England showing huge passion in defence to clear their lines.
The third penalty awarded to South Africa inside England's half was nudged over by Libbok, but Farrell was on hand moments later to knock over his third attempt. Libbok was taken off after half hour on the clock, and Pollard was quick to introduce himself to the Test with a straightforward penalty.
Farrell claimed his twelfth point as the last act of the first half, and the stats at the break showed a dominant English performance as Borthwick's men boasted more possession, metres made and carries - the Match Centre highlighted Courtney Lawes as a standout performer.
The Springboks rolled out the replacements at the resumption in a bid to wrestle back momentum, as both teams struggled to adapt to the slippery conditions, but on 53 minutes with England not enjoying much success in attack, Farrell calmly fired a 40-metre drop goal over the sticks to open up a nine point lead.
South Africa's scrum began to show its quality as a catalyst for penalties, and Pollard was on hand to nail one of them into England's corner. From the resulting lineout, replacement Deon Fourie peeled off and was brought down just shy of the line. A quick recycle saw the ball shift to RG Snyman, who powered over for the game's first try. The extras were added by Pollard and the deficit cut to two points.
Another Springbok scrum penalty afforded the men in green a shot at the sticks with four minutes left in the Test, and Pollard knocked it over from half way to confirm the win.
Teams
England
15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jonny May , 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 11. Elliot Daly, 10. Owen Farrell (C), 9. Alex Mitchell, 1. Joe Marler, 2. Jamie George, 3. Dan Cole, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. George Martin, 6. Courtney Lawes, 7. Tom Curry, 8. Ben Earl.
Replacements
16. Theo Dan, 17. Ellis Genge, 18. Kyle Sinckler, 19. Ollie Chessum, 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Danny Care, 22. George Ford, 23. Ollie Lawrence.
South Africa
15. Damien Willemse, 14. Kurt-lee Arendse, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damien de Allende, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Cobus Reinach, 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 3. Frans Malherbe, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 5. Franco Mostert, 6. Siya Kolisi (C), 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8. Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements
16. Deon Fourie, 17. Ox Nche, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. RG Snyman, 20. Kwagga Smith, 21. Faf de Klerk, 22. Handre Pollard, 23. Willie le Roux.
Fixtures & Results
Pool D
Quarter-final
Semi-final
England 15-16 South Africa
Bronze Medal Match
England v Argentina - Friday 27 October
