Powerful England roar into last four

POOL C

By WILLIAM GUPWELL

England……………. 17pts

Tries: Carnduff 26, Bailey 44, Isaacs 86

Conversions: Kerr 27

South Africa……. 12pts

Tries: Porthen 6, Finca 51

Conversions: Koen 6

WITH incredibly difficult weather conditions, England sealed a tightly contested victory to top Pool C and secure a spot in the semi-finals.

James Isaacs scored a pushover try in the 86th minute to ensure victory. It was an all-court performance from England despite the poor conditions, but it was their forwards who shone brightest by winning the physical battle against the Baby Boks.

England captain Finn Carnduff, who got his side’s opening try, said: “I want to say massive credit to South Africa. They really tested us, but to come away with a win at the end like that, we stuck to what we’re good at and got over the line. I’m super proud of the boys.

“Nothing changes heading into the semi-final. Our mindset has been the same every game this tournament. Every time we go out on the field, we put 100 per cent in and go out to get the win, and that’s a great showing from us today.”

The hosts started positively. The early pressure from the Baby Boks was relentless, as they dominated possession inside England’s 22 and captain Zachary Porthen scored from close range.

England’s discipline was a problem last week against Fiji and once again proved an issue with the referee issuing a warning in the opening ten minutes. With the tough conditions, it was clear that discipline would play a key role in the match.

The once pristine white England shirts from the anthems were quickly covered from the mud bath, highlighting the immense work rate the players were going through with South Africa dominating possession.

A superb kick downfield from Sean Kerr put the South African lineout under pressure. It was overthrown, giving England the opportunity, which Carnduff finished off.

Following the score, the game flipped on its head with England dominating the second part of the half. But despite the lengthy possession and field position inside the Bok half, it remained level at one try a piece at the break.

It was a positive start to the second period for England, who earned another penalty at the scrum following a Springbok knock-on at the restart. They launched an attack from the lineout and looked dangerous with the ball in hand.

They opened the scoring for the second half with Joe Bailey being awarded the try following a dominant driving maul shoving the Bok pack back over their own line.

The South Africans returned back downfield, and Likhona Finca showed some clever footballing skills by kicking the loose ball ahead for himself, taking it around Ben Redshaw to finish off the try.

The physicality on display was intense, with both sides running hard and fast at one another, providing some ginormous hits for the fans.

The difficult conditions had a major effect on play, so both sides rolled out their benches, hoping to inject some pace back into the still-level game.

Lucas Friday, who is still only 17, came on at scrum-half for England and made his presence felt, executing a brilliant 50:22 box kick to set up an opportunity. However, England failed to execute, and the game entered the final 10 at 12-12 with all still to play for. utes and played much more conservatively, knowing that with the score level it would be enough to top the group and prevent South Africa from securing a semi-final place.

The game slowed down in the final minutes with conditions meaning it turned into almost continuous scrums. As the clock hit 80, Ben Coen kicked to the corner from a penalty.

The maul went to ground early, sacked by

England continued their scrum dominance right into the final min-the Boks, but another penalty advantage meant replacement scrum-half Divan Fuller was sent to the bin. England opted for the scrum and were awarded yet another penalty, and this time, went to the corner. The entire side joined the maul and Isaacs got the touchdown.

South Africa captain Porthen said: “It’s heartbreaking, we worked very hard for this game but just didn’t get the result we wanted.”