The Gare du Nord was awash with Red Rose jerseys, home counties accents and hard-headed pessimism throughout Friday, as England fans arrived in their droves for the Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa. Around 20,000 of them will be at Saturday evening’s match in Paris, but they come more in hope than expectation. They know that form, recent history and the bookmakers’ odds all point to the same painful outcome: the world champion Springboks winning, and winning well.
Robin Randall, an England fan who runs an electrical contracting company in Nottingham, perhaps summed it up best. “I don’t think England have much of a chance,” he told the Guardian. “It’s just one game, so I suppose anything can happen. But our team is struggling to find its identity, our coach is inexperienced, and we are facing many of the same players that thrashed us 32-12 in the World Cup final four years ago.”
