News about Eben Etzebeth

After winning the World Cup for the fourth time, South Africa's rugby stars enjoyed a dream homecoming in Pretoria on Thursday as thousands of spectators took to the streets to watch their open-top bus parade. After beating France and England by a single point in their quarter-final and semi-final respectively, the Springboks edged past New Zealand 12-11 in Saturday's final in Paris. South Africa won the Rugby World Cup four times after winning the title they gained in 2019.

Fans may have been surprised to see Roger Federer wearing a South Africa jersey while attending the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday. Among the many famous faces in attendance of World Rugby's showpiece event, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was one of many. And although sporting stars participating in such a major event is no surprise, some celebrities may have been caught out by Federer's vehement support of the Springboks.

Sky Bet is giving the decider in Paris two 'Price Boosts' for those who are following the Rugby World Cup final with a keen interest. Both teams are expected to win by 1-5 points' at 9/4, and New Zealand is expected to win by 12.5 points.' Both boosts have been boosted from 7/4 and 9/2 respectively. The All Blacks have been triumphant by five points or less on one occasion during the tournament, which culminated in their 28-24 victory over world No. 1 Ireland in the quarter-finals. In the meantime, the Springboks have had multiple games that have been postponed, with a single point being the difference in both of their knockout victories against France and England.

South Africa defeated New Zealand by a single point in both of their knockout games at this year's World Cup, but Sky Bet are giving them a 'Featured RequestABet' for them to defeat New Zealand exactly by a point. That particular bet is worth 221/1. Following a difficult row of fixtures, the Springboks have showed every bit of their undeniable grandeur at this year's Rugby World Cup, with Eben Etzebeth and Co progressing to their fourth final of rugby's showpiece competition.

SIR CLIVE WOORDWARD: England may have lost their World Cup semi-final with South Africa by the narrowest of margins, but it was their best result since 2019 bar none. Not since the national team beat New Zealand in the last four years in Japan, four years ago, do we come close to seeing Steve Borthwick's team against the Springboks on display. We should all agree that this was a limited game plan. It was what the circumstances required, but the simple truth is that it was England's only hope of defeating South Africa. It was also England's most cohesive, united, and enthralling display for a long time.

Punts in Red Rose jerseys were seen sinking pints in the run-up to the Springboks' grudge match against the Springboks earlier today. When the team takes to the field in the French capital, some 20,000 England supporters are expected to cheer on the team. But Steve Borthwick's team is going into the match as the underdogs, with bookies giving odds of just 5/1 to defeat the current world champions.

South Africa and England, the defending champions of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final rematch, meet tonight in a highly awaited semi-final clash at the Stade de France. Both countries are in the fourth round of a hard-fought quarter-finals, with England defeating a fast-finishing Fiji by less than a converted attempt, while the Springboks demonstrated their glory to lift France's ageing population by a single point. Given the fact that Eben Etzebeth and Co are remarkably weak 1/5 favorites to reach their fourth RWC final, though Steve Borthwick's side are 4/1 underdogs.

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.

CHRIS FOY IN PARIS: On Thursday, Maro Itoje looked forward to a showdown with the world champions, but there were echoes of Tokyo, 2019. The Saracens lock, which had been four years ago in Japan, set the tone for England's dramatic semi-final victory over New Zealand, who were the champions in the region, when he boldly announced on the eve of the crucial match: 'We're going to get them.' Itoje, who was also optimistic about facing the Springboks, was upbeat this time in the French capital. The 28-year-old was determined to be anything but overawed rather than just spewing hollow praise for the defending champions. He spoke softly but firmly, reiterating that England is not up against an unstoppable, invincible power. It started with a query regarding Eben Etzebeth. Itoje did not appear at the invitation to acclaim his opposite number, saying, 'It's neither here nor there for me.' Naturally, he's a good player, but for me, it's about playing the game I like, or the kind of rugby I can play. It's about presenting the best of ourselves in the whole pack.'

OLIVER HOLT: Four years ago, when South Africa defeated England 32-12 in the World Cup final in Yokohama, Siya Kolisi, his country's first black rugby captain, talked of uniting the people together and how much money was owed to him. People in the taverns, people in the shebeens, people in farms, and people in rural areas' meant to him. And now, although South Africa is the clear favourites to overthrowrown England over night, there was no hint that Steve Borthwick's side would be regarded with with skepticism.

Referee Ben O'Keeffe has been selected to officiate England's semi-final match against South Africa, less than a week after losing Antoine Dupont's ire after losing their quarter-final loss to the Springboks. O'Keeffe oversaw the knife's-edge 29-28 drama that ended the hosts' hopes of winning the tournament on home soil, and had the final say on a contentious call at a capacity Stade de France. The referee decided not to give South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth a yellow card for what seemed to be a deliberate blunder, although the player was suspended from the sin bin for making head contact with Uini Atonio.

Rassie Erasmus can't wait to see South Africa's Rugby World Cup semi-final clash against England, but Springboks players are warned that Steve Borthwick's team will be strong opponents. The Springboks put on a spectacular showing to win their first home loss on France since March 2021 and schedule a match against Borthwick's side. Flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit said his team was motivated by the possibility of winning back-to-back World Cups without the benefit of home advantage.

Antoine Dupont, the heartbroken captain of France, slammed Ben O'Keeffe for refereeing but acknowledged that his team was defeated by the more able team after Les Bleus crashed out of their own World Cup. South Africa defeated Paris on Tuesday, taking just two wins away from retaining the title they won in Japan in 2019. The Springboks suffered their first home loss on Fabien Galthie's side since 2021.

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.

South Africa's 49-18 triumph over Tonga brought a moment of pride as both teams shared communion on the pitch. Both players from both teams came arm in arm after the hard-fought game, which temporarily moved the Sprigboks to the top of Pool B due to a bonus point.

Despite Scotland's ascension to the top of the world rankings, the underdogs defeated South Africa 2-0 in their pool stage opener in Marseille. The Sprinboks are expected to have a slim chance of 1/5, although a draw has the highest rate at 20/1. The Springboks are 11/2 to win by 1-5 points in the 'Winning Margin' market, while Scotland is longer at 17-2 to be victorious by the same margin.

As preparations for the Rugby World Cup continue, New Zealand and South Africa will go head-to-head this evening. The All Blacks came into the match off the back of a 23-20 victory over rival Australia earlier this month. South Africa defeated Wales 52-16 in their last World Cup warm-up match, with the Springboks.

With Sky Bet, the All Blacks are 1 1/2 favorites going into the warm-up match, while Eben Etzebeth and Co are outsiders at 7/4. A drawn match at 18/1 is the oddest result, according to the bookies. Many who believe the All Blacks will defyve their historical rivals in London are wrong. Sky Bet are offering odds of 6/1, 8/1, and 11/1 for them to beat the Springboks by a margin of 6-10, 11-15, and 16-20 points respectively. However, write off the South Africans at your peril, with the Jacques Nienaber-coached side riding high off a 52-16 thrashing of Wales in Cardiff last weekend.

ALEX BYWATER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: This was a mismatch in terms of international experience, so it was no surprise that Wales' final World Cup warm-up ended in a shaming at the hands of the defending global champions South Africa. Warren Gatland gave his fringe players a last chance to make his 33-man team for the tournament in France, but he must have known his rookies would be up against it. It was so. The Springboks lost by a record Welsh home loss.

TWICKENHAM STOOP: Quins X NORTH NORTH HAMON vs. TWICKENHAM STOOP: The Quins won their first victory of 2023 in style, with Marcus Smith back in the No 10 jersey. Their forwards thrashed a South African pack starring Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, allowing the backline to sprinkle the dust with sprinkles of stardust. If Evans can drip-feed this attacking philosophy into the England ranks, the national team will be in good shape. No one was dissatisfied. All entertainment is welcome.

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.

After just over half an hour when Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the first try of the game when Eddie Jones' team failed to get a hold of proceedings, England started stuggish and their visitors led 11-3. Eben Etzebeth added to the visitors' count in the second half as the hosts struggled, long before Thomas du Toit was given a warning with 20 minutes to go. Henry Slade went over for England to give the hosts hope, but the team had too little, too late, after a season of five victories, a draw, and six losses from 12 Tests.

With France's fall campaign wrapped up, I will be watching England's game against South Africa on television at home in Persia. I'm backing England to win by one score, and after our close victory over South Africa a fortnight ago, there are a few key areas for them to work on.