Kevin Sinfield insists England will ‘absolutely rip into’ South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals – and says there is no fear about taking on the Springboks’ infamous Bomb Squad
- Just 80 minutes and the world’s best team separate England from the final
- Kevin Sinfield says England don’t want regrets for the rest of their lives
- He also gave insight into the changing style of leadership in the team
- Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results
England coach Kevin Sinfield has told his players to seize their moment in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa and avoid a lifetime of regrets.
His team are 80 minutes away from facing New Zealand or Argentina in the final but first they must upset the odd against the world champion Springboks.
It promises to be a meeting of muscle in the capital but Sinfield said England will have no fear of taking on the infamous Bomb Squad.
‘I am certainly not overwhelmed,’ said Sinfield. ‘I understand the challenge in front of us. But I don’t mind being backed into a corner, don’t mind being written off, don’t mind being slammed, don’t mind being in the thick of a pretty tough circumstance.
Kevin Sinfield embraced the challenge that England have ahead of them in South Africa
The England defence coach said England will thrive on the fact they’re playing the world’s best
‘I just think we’re in a World Cup semi-final, there is a lot of good in it here, there’s a lot of things to be excited about. Coming up against them will let us know where we’re at. But for our players, they are so excited to be out there.
‘Rewind eight weeks and it was pretty grim for us, at the end of August. But we want them to absolutely rip into it and give it everything you’ve got, otherwise you end up with a load of regrets for the rest of your life.’
England have been training with wet balls in anticipation of rainy conditions at the Stade de France.
Steve Borthwick will have prepared a detailed, tactical plan and Sinfield revealed the players have not been overloaded with tub-thumping speeches throughout the week.
Owen Farrell grinned as he led his side through their captain’s run ahead of the clash
Joe Marler showed off his football skills as England went through their final preparations
South Africa, champions in 2019, beat France by one point to qualify for the semi-finals
‘It’s probably more subtle than that and understanding that leadership has probably changed and this generation is different,’ he said.
‘Gone is the big Churchillian leader. They do exist but they’re quite rare.
‘I’ve spoken about our leadership group before and then as coaches we’re all different. We all have our own ways of influencing and supporting. As of yet there’s been no Churchillian speech.
‘We are talking about different personalities and characters in the group; some will absolutely thrive on the fact that we are coming up against the best team in the world at the weekend.’
Source: Read Full Article
