England 15-16 South Africa

England v South Africa Match Reports

England collapsed to an agonising 16-15 defeat against South Africa at the Stade de France as they allowed a place in Saturday’s World Cup final against New Zealand to slip from their grasp. Steve Borthwick’s men led by nine points in the final quarter but their wet-weather masterclass began to fade as the ‘Bomb Squad’ made their presence felt for the Springboks, especially in the scrum. RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute and Pollard nailed a tricky conversion, setting up heart-stopping finish to a Test that was enthralling throughout. The world champions were still two points behind but up stepped man-of-the-match Pollard to land the killer blow with two minutes left, nailing a penalty from just inside England’s half. A selection of match reports is listed below:

• Autumn Internationals: Heartbreak for battling England as South Africa snatch late semi-final victory
• BBC: Springboks fightback shatters brave England
• Daily Mail: Heartbreak at the Stade de France as the Springboks steal victory after only leading for two minutes
• Sky Sports: Handre Pollard pounces to send Springboks into Rugby World Cup Final
• England Rugby: England beaten by Springboks in semi-final
• SA Rugby: Determined Springboks edge England in Paris