They’re the big underdogs heading into the game in Paris tonight, but England’s rugby players have become used to being written off lately.
Their form heading into the tournament in France was woeful, and yet they’re the only unbeaten side left in the semi-finals.
Now they face a South Africa team that’s proved to be their nemesis at several other World Cups.
Image: Happy England fans during the group game against Japan
The prospect of trying to beat South Africa and set up another shot at glory – their fifth final – will give England fans with long – and short – memories, nightmares.
The Springboks have ended England’s chances in two World Cup finals – in 2007 and 2019 – as well as one quarter-final and a group game.
They’re the reigning world champions, the world’s number one team, and they’ve just dumped out the highly fancied home nation in an epic quarter-final, while England struggled past Fiji, who are ranked 10th.
Image: England head coach Steve Borthwick before the quarter-final against Fiji
England’s only success against them in the biggest tournament in the sport came in a 2003 pool match, when Sir Clive Woodward’s eventual winners triumphed 25-6 in Perth.
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But it’s the 2019 game that many will focus on this weekend, not least because a total of 28 players across the two squads are survivors of that match in Yokohama, won 32-12 by the Africans.
In that game, a far stronger, more talented and in-form England than the current group, was outmuscled by the Springboks, whose forward dominance caused mayhem at the scrum and lineout.
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Four years on, South Africa’s strength is again in the pack and, this year, in their tactical use of their bench – dubbed the “Bomb Squad”.
Their thrilling 29-28 quarter-final win over France showed their wings are a match for any team.
Image: England’s Jonny Wilkinson (C) downcast after being beaten by South Africa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final
England captain, Owen Farrell, one of those who played in the Yokohama defeat, said, simply, “it was a long time ago”.
We’ve played each other a good few times since and we’re looking at what we can do going into Saturday,” he said,
“This feels like a new challenge… a new opportunity. In four years, a lot happens in rugby, a lot happens in a week here. We feel like we’ve obviously changed as a team. I imagine South Africa feel like they’ve changed over four years as well.”
England coach Steve Borthwick is a divisive figure for some, fostering a classic sporting siege mentality while in France, defying critics of his team’s sometimes uninspiring style.
Borthwick said he’d heard “tens of thousands of people are coming across [from England]” for the game and talked of a “special feeling” in the French capital ahead of the match.
He said he hoped his team would “put in a performance all their supporters are proud of”.
Image: Another South Africa defeat for England – in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final
That could be a tall order as, while he praised their contribution to England’s success so far, others aren’t so sure fans have been impressed by his work since replacing Eddie Jones in December.
Against Argentina, in their opening match of the tournament, there was raucous support for their 14-man victory, but there were also 6,000 empty seats for their quarter-final win over Fiji.
England’s last match before heading to France was a first-ever defeat to the Islanders, part of a pre-tournament run of five defeats in six games.
For that match, Twickenham’s top tier was kept shut due to sluggish ticket sales.
Image: Manu Tuilagi scores England’s opening try against Fiji. Pic: AP
Borthwick identified reconnecting his side with supporters, who had grown tired of Eddie Jones’s approach, as one of his first major tasks when appointed.
Whatever the truth of the matter, one thing’s for certain – anyone wearing red and white will be thrilled if his team gains revenge for years of hurt and emerges victorious at the Stade de France.
The team’s open-top bus will travel along The Mall from 12.10pm.
It will end with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, which is expected to start at roughly 12.30pm and end at 1pm, the Football Association (FA) announced.
The Royal Marines Portsmouth band and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will perform on the stage and highlights from the tournament will be shown on big screens.
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Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey was one of those who asked the prime minister if it was “time for that bank holiday”.
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He was referring to comments made by Sir Keir in 2023. When, as leader of the opposition, he wrote on X that there “should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home”.
But with estimates suggesting an extra bank holiday would cost the economy £2.4bn, it’s understood such a move isn’t being planned by Downing Street.
‘There is no stopping them now’
The impact of the Lionesses second consecutive Euros title is already being felt across the UK.
At Bearsted Football Club in Maidstone, Kent, a mural of Alessia Russo, who levelled Sunday’s final with a goal in the 56th minute, has been unveiled.
Image: Alessia Russo scoring the levelling goal. Pic: Reuters
The club is where Russo first started playing, and chairman Jamie Houston told Sky News the Lionesses have helped transform the women’s game.
“Five years ago we never had a girl’s football team,” he told Sky correspondent Mollie Malone. “Now we have five separate teams for girls, and boys are accepting of more girls in the game.
“There is no stopping them now.”
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Lynda Hale, who played in the England squad in the first ever international women’s match against Scotland in 1972, reiterated that women’s football has changed drastically since she played.
“When I first started playing there was hardly anyone that would watch,” she told Sky News Breakfast.
“To put on the England shirt and think what we started has grown to this magnitude, and it is still going to grow, is absolutely fantastic. I think the sky’s the limit in women’s football.”
Asked what advice she would have for the current England squad after their win, Ms Hale said: “The girls need to make as many memories as they can and take everything in their stride.”
The suspect in the fatal shooting of a mother and her two children in Northern Ireland has died.
Ian Rutledge, a 43-year-old agricultural worker, had himself suffered a gunshot wound during the attack in the village of Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh on Wednesday morning.
He was taken to hospital where he remained in a serious condition until the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced he had died on Monday evening.
It is understood he was the only suspect in the murder investigation.
Vanessa Whyte, 45, a vet originally from County Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, were all shot dead at a property on Drummeer Road during the attack.
The PSNI said last week that all four people who were shot were members of the same household.
Police have been investigating whether the attack was a triple murder and attempted suicide.
A prayer service took place for Ms Whyte and the two children in Barefield, County Clare on Sunday, following a community vigil in Maguiresbridge last Friday.
A funeral service is expected to take place in County Clare later this week.
Following Mr Rutledge’s death, the PSNI said detectives have “reiterated their appeal for anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward”.
It comes after the PSNI issued an appeal on Saturday for information involving the movements of a vehicle.
They have asked anyone who saw a silver Mercedes saloon car being driven in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler, on the evening of Tuesday 22 July to call detectives on 101.
Image: A police cordon was in place close to the scene last week. Pic: PA
Tributes paid to ‘lovely-natured’ children
A local Gaelic football club said last week that Ms White and her children were all “active and beloved” members of their club.
Sara and James Rutledge also used to be part of a local cricket club, which said in a statement that it was “extremely saddened by the tragic events”.
“Both of them turned out to be talented young cricketers and two absolutely lovely-natured children,” the statement read.
Flowers, teddy bears and an Arsenal football top with written notes were laid close to scene of the incident in Drummeer Road in the days after the shooting.
Donald Trump has reignited his row with London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan after calling him a “nasty person” who has done “a terrible job”.
During an hour-long news conference with Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, the US president hit out at the Labour mayor, who has responded with his own snipey remarks.
Asked if he would visit London during his state visit in September, Mr Trump said: “I will, I’m not a fan of your mayor, I think he’s done a terrible job.
“A nasty person, I think.”
The prime minister then interrupted and said: “He’s a friend of mine.”
But the president added: “I think he’s done a terrible job but I will certainly visit London, I hope so.”
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Sir Sadiq’s spokesperson then released a statement saying: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.
“He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer.
“Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.”
Image: Sir Sadiq Khan was knighted in June. Pic: PA
They noted that Sir Sadiq has won three mayoral elections, including when Mr Trump lost the US election in 2020.
This is not the first time Mr Trump and Sir Sadiq have locked horns.
Sir Sadiq then described Mr Trump as a “poster boy for racists”.
And in November 2024, after Mr Trump won his second term, Sir Sadiq said many Londoners would be “fearful” about what it would “mean for democracy”.
However, as Sir Keir tried to show diplomacy with Mr Trump after becoming PM, Sir Sadiq said he “wanted to work closely with the American president” ahead of his inauguration in January.
The London mayor said as somebody “who believes in democracy, and voting and elections, we should recognise the fact that Donald Trump is the elected president of the United States”.
But he added: “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this president is different from the last time he was president.”