Maro Itoje has called on England to carry the fight to South Africa in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final, insisting they will not bow down to the Springboks.
South Africa go into a rematch of the 2019 final as heavy favourites but Itoje believes “the best is yet to come” from England and is convinced they will prove victorious if they deliver it this weekend. Itoje will line up next to George Martin, who makes just his fourth England start, after Steve Borthwick beefed up his pack with Joe Marler also coming into the side.
Freddie Steward has also earned a recall with Borthwick confirming Marcus Smith is unavailable for selection as he progresses through the head injury return to play protocols.
Itoje is one of eight survivors from the England side that produced their best performance under Eddie Jones to sink the All Blacks in the 2019 semi-final, only to be bullied off the park by the Springboks. The Saracens second-row insisted that history counts for nothing, however, and was adamant that England will not stand on ceremony for South Africa, who dumped France out of their own tournament last week.
“I always have belief with this team,” said Itoje. “I always have belief in what we can do and what we are capable of.
“For us it is just about imposing our game. We don’t want to sit back and just watch them do their thing, we want to be England rugby. I believe the best is yet to come. I believe that if we put our best out on the field, we are going to be celebrating on Saturday night and have a positive night. We’ll go from there. I believe there is still a huge amount of growth to come from this team and I feel we haven’t seen the best of us yet.”
Itoje is set to lock horns with Eben Etzebeth again in a renewal of one of world rugby’s fiercest individual contests. Etzebeth has tended to get the better of previous battles, the first Test of the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021 notwithstanding, but Itoje has warned against putting his direct opponent, or the Springboks, on a pedestal.
“They’re a good team, obviously they are the current world champions, they’ve had a very good World Cup,” added Itoje. “We’ve played them twice since 2019, they’ve won one, we’ve won one. We’re not talking about a team that has never lost, we’re not talking about a team that is without fault, they are a good team but so are we. For us, it’s about putting our game on the field, it’s not necessarily about sitting back just to watch them.
“I’m not looking for any respect from my opposition. That’s neither here nor there for me. What’s important for me is that we present the game we want to present. It’s about us being the team that we want to be, us playing the type of rugby that we want to play. They have certain things that they’re very good at but it’s about us being the England rugby team, about us putting our best foot forward and our individuals, as a team, going out there and playing the type of game we want to play.
England Freddie Steward; Jonny May, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Elliot Daly; Owen Farrell (c), Alex Mitchell; Joe Marler, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Theo Dan, Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Ollie Chessum, Billy Vunipola, Danny Care, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence.
South Africa Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (c), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Handré Pollard, Willie Le Roux.
“This isn’t just another game. This is a special game. These are special games and you don’t get many opportunities like this. It is about us seizing the moment, being really present and taking any opportunities we get. This is a massive, massive occasion. It’s with occasions being big like this one is, it brings about a huge opportunity.”
Meanwhile, South Africa have stuck by the same side who beat France in their quarter-final last weekend. It means the fly-half Handré Pollard, who kicked 22 points in his side’s 32-12 victory in the 2019 final, remains among the replacements, with Manie Libbok continuing in the No 10 jersey.
“They [England] come off five victories in a row and they are high on confidence,” said the head coach, Jacques Nienaber. “They have a quality pack and world-class backs who can create magic on the field and those who are writing them off are making a major mistake.”
