Replacement fly half Handre Pollard kicked a last-gasp penalty as South Africa somehow found a way to get past a dominant England and claim a 16-15 victory that sent them into a Rugby World Cup final against fellow triple champions New Zealand.
The defending champions looked on the verge of defeat on Saturday as England’s kicking game kept them pegged back in their half on a rainy Paris night and earned a 15-6 lead in the semifinal, but they hit back with a try by RG Snyman before replacement Pollard landed a penalty from almost on the halfway line to snatch victory.
It was a second successive single-point victory for the Springboks after they beat France 29-28 which means the two superpowers of the sport will meet in the final for the second time after South Africa triumphed on home soil in 1995 in their first appearance at the tournament.
“It was really ugly but that is what champions are made of,” said Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.
“Credit to England. They were written off before the World Cup but pulled themselves together and showed who they were. They are not a team you take lightly but to my team, we found a way to fight back into the game.”
For most of Saturday’s match, it looked as if it would be the 2019 runners-up returning to the final. Coach Steve Borthwick had promised he had a plan to unsettle the world champions but there was nothing radical about their approach as they kicked relentlessly in the rain and outplayed the Springboks in the air.
That early control earned Owen Farrell two penalty opportunities, both of which he slotted for a 6-0 lead.
Manie Libbok landed one for the Springboks but looked off the pace and was replaced by Pollard after 31 minutes, who soon scored a penalty.
England, however, maintained their disciplined approach, gaining ground from their deep kicking, and another Farrell penalty gave them a deserved 12-6 half-time lead.
England, widely written off and 5-1 outsiders despite winning five successive games from the easier side of the draw, stretched their lead to 15-6 with a brilliant 47-metre Farrell drop goal and an upset looked likely.
