Paul Grayson: Why England's fate could hang on result of coaches' mind game

20 October 2023 , 18:58

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We talk about player match-ups, but for me where England’s World Cup semi-final will be won is in the mind game between the coaching teams.

Steve Borthwick versus Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber doesn’t have the box office allure of Maro Itoje against Eben Etzebeth. Kevin Sinfield versus Deon Davids won’t sell tickets like Courtney Lawes against Siya Kolisi or the clash of playmakers Owen Farrell and Manie Libbok.

But there is also no nation to compare with the Springboks when it comes to innovation, creative thinking and wrong-footing the opposition.

Take last week’s quarter-final against France, a fairly epic contest by anyone’s definition.

Erasmus and co had already made headlines with the use of coloured lights to get messages onto to the field from the coaching box during the pool stages.

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In the French match they took captain Kolisi off straight after half-time along with half-backs Libbok and Cobus Reinach.

Paul Grayson: Why England's fate could hang on result of coaches' mind game

Siya Kolisi (above) against Courtney Lawes (below) is one of the headline match-ups (Getty Images)

(PA)

We also saw fullback Damian Willemse call a mark and ask for a scrum which few people even know is allowed. It was a ‘wow’ moment, a massive power move.

That innovation for me was the difference last week; that and a couple of dropped balls. So that is England’s real challenge tonight.

Of course they have to try to match the Boks’ physicality and set-piece power, kick their goals and all that, but it is in the coaches’ box I fancy the game will be decided.

out of sight the battle of wits between Jacques Nienaber (above) and Steve Borthwick (below) could be decisive (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

England are nobody’s fools as they showed when playing Marcus Smith at fullback last week knowing Fiji wouldn’t come after him with kicks and now picking a big bench to counter South Africa’s ‘Bomb Squad’ set of replacements.

But they’re up against a coaching team and a side whose modus operandi is to change things and absolutely rewrite the book of what is possible.

Look at the try Etzebeth scored against France when they opted for a tap penalty, lined up three players to take it who then jumped to one side, RG Snyman instead tapping and rather than truck it up, passing.

Clash of the playmakers: Manie Libbok (above) versus Owen Farrell (Below)

(SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

They had calculated that if we go here, here and here Etzebeth will get to the first back on fourth carry. Sure enough he got in over the top of the France fly-half.

England are going to need some of that to get past South Africa as just trying to contain and make a load of tackles and play high up the field won’t give them a winning edge.

They are going to have to come with something else. Whether Borthwick and Sinfield have it in them at this point to do that is the big question.