{"id":296203,"date":"2023-10-19T06:39:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T06:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=296203"},"modified":"2023-10-19T06:39:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T06:39:09","slug":"england-must-be-ready-for-whatever-very-very-smart-springboks-throw-at-them-says-kevin-sinfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/england-must-be-ready-for-whatever-very-very-smart-springboks-throw-at-them-says-kevin-sinfield\/","title":{"rendered":"England must be ready for whatever \u2018very, very smart\u2019 Springboks throw at them, says Kevin Sinfield"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kevin Sinfield: \u2018You understand what buttons you can press and the influence you can have\u2019 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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It is the question that will no doubt have occupied Steve Borthwick\u2019s mind ever since the end of their draining victory over Fiji: how do you go about charging up England to meet the might of South Africa? There is no doubt that semi-final week will bring a level above anything his side have faced in France so far. <\/p>\n

Two of England\u2019s most damaging days in recent memory have come against the Springboks; the Rugby World Cup final in 2019 is most obviously in the mind this week but the Twickenham drubbing last November that led to Eddie Jones\u2019s defenestration is still raw, too. No matter what underdog, backs-against-the-wall spirit the squad might be able to conjure, there will be a need to fight any possible fear factor.<\/p>\n

Even defence coach Kevin Sinfield admitted that he was \u201cin awe\u201d of the physicality South Africa produced to pip France in Paris on Sunday night. \u201cThere are not many weaknesses out there,\u201d Sinfield said of the Springboks. \u201cWe understand this team are very, very smart, they are coached particularly well and they are right across the laws. They understand all the intricacies and we\u2019ve got to be ready for whatever comes on Saturday evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the first British & Irish Lions test against South Africa in 1997, assistant coach Jim Telfer memorably stirred up the tourists\u2019 forwards with a rousing pre-match dressing room address. The \u201cThis is your Everest\u201d speech has entered sporting folklore, an example of how the right messages and manner can lift<\/p>\n

England don\u2019t necessarily have a great orator in their coaching staff but is this a time for something similar? Not so, says Sinfield \u2013 the game has changed, and England\u2019s quieter communicators are sticking to their methods. \u201cIt\u2019s probably more subtle than that and understanding that leadership has probably changed,\u201d Sinfield explained. \u201cThis generation is different.<\/p>\n

\u201cGone is the big Churchillian leader. They do exist but they\u2019re quite rare. I\u2019ve spoken about our leadership group before and then as coaches, we\u2019re all different. I know you\u2019ve spent a bit of time with Wiggy, Tommy Harrison, Steve, and it probably comes across differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have our own ways of influencing and supporting. As of yet, there\u2019s been no Churchillian speech.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The last time the sides met, in November, an abject England were routed by South Africa at Twickenham<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving had the luxury of working with these guys for some time now, you understand what buttons you can press and the influence you can have, how you can support and help those that need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinfield spent much of his playing career trying, and failing, to conquer Australia, England yet to get over the hump at a Rugby League World Cup. The Kangaroos\u2019 pre-eminence isn\u2019t reflected in the code the league legend now calls home, but France and Ireland\u2019s narrow defeats on quarter-final weekend mean there is every chance that the 10th men\u2019s World Cup ends with a ninth celebration south of the equator.<\/p>\n

Not that Sinfield, nor any in England\u2019s camp, will be cowed by the challenge in front of them. Though the squad themselves have described this as an imperfect run to the final four, England are the only side that remain unbeaten at this tournament. How far have they grown in that time? A test against the Springboks will tell them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure we would have feared it a month ago,\u201d Sinfield said when asked if the England side at the start of the tournament would have been scared of the task in front of them. \u201cActually, it could have been what we needed at the time; an opposition that were different for us, to give us a different challenge. It might have been good for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we are really looking forward to this and I think you\u2019re right. We are talking about different personalities and characters in the group; some will absolutely thrive on the fact that we are coming up against the best team in the world at the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am certainly not overwhelmed. I understand the challenge in front of us. But I don\u2019t mind being backed into a corner, don\u2019t mind being written off, don\u2019t mind being slammed, don\u2019t mind being in the thick of pretty tough circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cRewind eight weeks and it was pretty grim for us, at the end of August. We want them to absolutely rip into it on Saturday night and give it everything you\u2019ve got, otherwise, you end up with a load of regrets for the rest of your life.\u201d <\/p>\n

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