News about Cheslin Kolbe

CHRIS FOY - WORLD OF RUGBY: For neutrals and rivals, this is a jarring concept. But there is a very real danger that South Africa are shedding their status as perennial pantomime villains. All the haters are going to hate, hate, hate this, but the Boks are proving worthy of warmth and admiration, in defiance of long tradition. The immediate news is that they have just won the Rugby Championship in its full guise for the first time in 15 years.

On Saturday, 2023 Rugby World Cup finalists South Africa and New Zealand meet in a mouthwatering Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park. The reigning two-time world champion Springboks will take plenty of confidence into this fixture - with Rassie Erasmus' side winning their last two and four of their last six against the All Blacks - of which includes the aforementioned 2023 World Cup final. Their recent head-to-head winning record is expected to continue when looking at the betting lines - with South Africa odds-on favourites at 4/9 to come away with the win.

THE STRADE DE FRANCE, NIK SIMON: The heat was so intense that the Webb Ellis Cup may have been squeezed and compressed into gold bullion. South Africa was remarkably successful in a tight but thrilling final as Cheslin Kolbe listened with his finger tips as the first nation to be crowned champions four times. It was the peak of the season. The rain poured and at times it felt like a rugby apocalypse of eviscerating physicality. A superheavyweight fight that came right to an end. It was gloriously ugly. The argument is persuasive. Low scoring but high stakes, with 14-14 against 14 after a red card for Sam Cane and a yellow card for Kolbe. In the South African corner, there were riots of joy and relief as they continued to fight a desperate defensive battle. Pieter-Steph du Toit made an incredible 28 tackles, the bulk of which were so strong that they would reverberate throughout Paris.

South Africa defeated England in the 2019 World Cup final and are just one game away from defending their country's crown. The Springboks will face New Zealand in the final on Saturday after seeing off hosts France and squeezing past England last weekend. South Africa will need more from their wingers than they did in the semi-finals, and Sky Bet has a 'Price Boost' available for both men if they are to beat the All Blacks.

When New Zealand and South Africa meet in the final in Paris on Saturday, they will both be aiming for their fourth World Cup victory. Both teams advanced to the showpiece competition on different routes, with New Zealand swatting Argentina 44-6 in their semi-finals, while South Africa had to come from behind to defeat England 16-15. The All Blacks have grown as the tournament has progressed, and winger Will Jordan has been a standout performer, scoring eight tries. Jordan is 15/2 with Sky Bet for the first time in history, but no man has ever scored nine in a single tournament.

DJ Khaled, a well-known American singer, has rallied around the World Cup final and sent a passionate message of support ahead of the blockbuster clash between South Africa and New Zealand. This Saturday evening, the two nations face each other in their fourth World Cups. Khaled has bitten the rugby bug during the tournament in France and is now a newfound devotee of the sport.

Both South Africa and New Zealand will have two tries in each half of this Saturday's final, with Sky Bet putting a 40/1 odds. Beauden Barrett and Co's third attempts in the first half and four tries in the second half, resulting in a 38-point victory over Argentina in their semi-finals. Though Jacques Nienaber's side hasn't been at their best at this tournament when they met up with comparable opponents - they have strikes right across the park, particularly in their back three with Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse, and Kurt-Lee Arendse.

England is aiming for their second straight Rugby World Cup final on Tuesday, but South Africa is also up for a tough challenge. When they defeated Fiji, Steve Borthwick's side survived a big scare to make it five wins out of five. When South Africa defeated France last weekend, they played out one of the best matches of the tournament.

South Africa will face England in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals on Saturday evening as the clear favorites. After winning in the final twice, the Springboks will be looking to deny England on rugby's biggest stage once more. South Africa defeated 32-12 in the 2019 final in Tokyo, as well as the 2007 clash at the Stade de France. South Africa is one step closer to winning their fourth Rugby World Cup title at the same venue in Paris. Siya Kolisi and his South African team have been boosted during the tournament by France's continued help of their wives and girlfriends. The team has been supported by their families and friends through the lows of being defeated by Ireland in the pool phase to the excitement of downing hosts France last weekend. Mail Sport looks at how the support system around South Africa's stars is functioning off the field as they seek World Cup glory once more.

Despite making several mistakes in last weekend's quarter-finals, Ben O'Keeffe will be the referee for England's Rugby World Cup semi-final match against South Africa on Saturday. The Red Roses will be hoping that the match official does not make the same costly mistakes as he did last time out when it was revealed that the 34-year-old man was found to have committed multiple mistakes in South Africa's clash with the tournament's hosts.

OLIVER HOLT: England has been cocooned in shame and resentment over the criticism they have received in the last eight months for being a decidedly poor side. They are fond of little things and hold them close to their hearts. They've already used them to create a siege mentality, and in several ways, they've already had the last laugh over their opponents.

On social media, French fans of South African scrum-half Cobus Reinach have been criticized with death threats. In a thrilling match that ended 29-28 to the reigning world champions in Paris, the 33-year-old was a member of the starting XV that barely beat hosts France on Sunday. Both teams broke out of the traps with three goals each in the first half, but the Boks saw out the victory after Cheslin Kolbe somehow charged down a Thomas Ramos conversion.

SHAUN EDWARDS - The defence COACH of France is a former English defender. Everyone agrees that England has no chance against South Africa, but I disagree. I think it will be a tense match that may be decided by a single point. Our match against the Springboks on Sunday night was such a close match, and recovering from a game like that is often difficult. England has a good chance because they have a similar style. Steve Borthwick's experience is the line-out, and I am sure he will be planning to stop South Africa's driving mauldron. I haven't been through our match in depth yet - it's still stings - but there are a few key areas that England will investigate.

OLIVER HOLT: Following England's thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory over Fiji - England and 'thrilling' have not been discussed in the same breath recently, a few of us took the Marseille metro for a few stops and discovered a pizzeria in Notre Dame du Mont, which was playing the France-South Africa game. The game was being played in France and South Africa at the majority of venues. Bars, sushi restaurants, Thai restaurants, and kebab shops can be found in Thailand. People were milling around outside bars or eating at tables, their gazes fixed on the television screens that seemed to have been installed in every doorway and every establishment. One of the major tournaments is to experience it's intoxication and the sense of belonging and unity it brings. I still remember Euro 96 and the red and white crosses of St George, flying and flapping from car windows everywhere you went.

ALEX BYWATER AT THE STADE DE FRANCE: Following France's humiliation of losing in one of the world's best showpiece tournaments ever, England will meet South Africa in a World Cup semi-final match. This game was a lot to be expected. Surely it was never going to match the thrilling contest between Ireland and New Zealand also played at the Stade de France 24 hours previously? It means that the southern and northern hemisphere's score has fallen 3-1 to those from the Rugby Championships, despite a stellar weekend of quarter-final action.

In a quarter-final match that is undoubtedly one of the most highly awaited Rugby World Cup games in the tournament's history, hosts France and defending champions South Africa clash. Given how much talent exists across both teams' pitch, there's no chance that this game will be a success and lots of points will be scored. Sky Bet is giving certain players a long shot whether they're forecasting multiple attempts through the 80 minutes.

SHAUN EDWARDS: We had a day off on Thursday ahead of Saturday's World Cup quarter-finals, and we were visiting Notre Dame Cathedral as a team, travelling down the River Seine on police boats. The boats went pretty fast and the players absolutely loved it! It's been a long build-up to our game against South Africa, so it's been crucial that after a rough start to the week, the players and staff had some down time.

Four World Cup quarter-finals of quality, drama, and intrigue will be held this weekend, bringing a step into uncharted waters for rugby, which is highly awaited. This is the tenth edition of rugby's global showpiece, and I don't think previous tournaments have seen anything like what we can expect today and tomorrow. If you're lucky enough to attend one or two of the matches in Paris, you'll be watching two games worthy of a World Cup final. That has never happened before. If you're in Marseille, as I am, then the possibility is two more enthralling ties. The fact that the four quarter-finals are in the northern hemisphere against the southern is fascinating.

DAN BIGGAR'S WORLD CUP DIARY: We're in a good spot after triumphing over Fiji and Portugal. It's been a hectic week in the Nice sunshine, from meeting Prince William and getting texts from Siya Kolisi to picking Aaron Ramsey's brains.

DISCLUSIVE INTERVIEW DAN BIGGAR: The pizza oven is now fired up and ready to go. Dan Biggar has swapped his Wales No 10 jersey for a chef's apron and set the dinner table at his house in Toulon. For the evening, Cheslin Kolbe will be his guest. The World Cup champion Springbok lives down the road and arrives right on time with a bottle of red. They plate up a few slices and settle in to talk about all things rugby before their friendship is reduced to one side for a few weeks. Nik Simon, the Rugby Correspondent, listened in.

South Africa is in a good mood going into their World Cup debut with Scotland, after taking the brave decision to announce their team two days ahead of schedule. The reigning world champions had expected to announce their lineup on Friday, two days before the game and in accordance with Scotland. However, bouncing Boks head coach Jacques Nienaber has arrived early and has landed a fully loaded team for what is sure to be a tense match in Marseille. Faf de Klerk, the star scrum-half, will win his 50th Test cap, with the talismanic Siya Kolisi captain leading the side from the back row.

Cheslin Kolbe hasn't been a huge fan of Dan Biggar in the past, but he most likely wasn't in the United Kingdom when the two teams clashed last summer as Wales went head-to-head with South Africa. When their respective countries meet in a World Cup warm-up match at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday, the two will do so once more. But, it's only been a little over a year since Kolbe squared up to Biggar in Pretoria, the two of them's friendship is now very different. In fact, the two players are now good friends who spent together for Toulon's French team. This weekend will be all the more memorable for them.

TWICKENHAM ALEX BYWATER: England's not only lost to defeat a South African team robbed of nine first-choice players, but also put on a spectacular display at Twickenham to cap an awful fall campaign. In the final of the last World Cup, these two teams met. According to statistics, England and South Africa were the world's No. 1 and No. 2 teams at the end of 2019. A lot has changed since then, and this game proved it. The Springboks deserved to lift the William Webb Ellis Cup four years ago. England's retaliation in the Yokohama final was both scientific and remarkable. The England Firefighters were not on strike that day.

NIK SIMON'S VIEW: BY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY NIK SIMON: As he starts talking about daisies, Herbst's eyes light up. He is reflecting on his happy childhood memories of South Africa. Families are enjoying the summer holidays. However, do not be deceived. This 19st 5lb Afrikaner with a beard the size of a tree isn't interested in a tale about petals and petticoats. I was six years old when I first got my first daisy,' he says. A daisy is a small pistol that shoots metal pellets.' On the barbeque, me and my friend will go outside and shoot birds. Not rhinos or lions or anything like that. Not trophy hunting. Shoot to eat.' Harlequins were compelled to sign Herbst as their new enforcer right away, and it does not take long. He grew up in Witbank, South Africa's home to 22 coal mines and recently recorded as the world's dirtiest air.