The Springboks are expected to make some changes to their team for Saturday’s big Rugby World Cup semi-final against England in Paris.

On the weekend the Boks edged France 29-28 in a gruelling Test in Paris that took the physicality to the next level.

A player like the centre, Jesse Kriel, was simply outstanding in the 1 point victory over the host nation, however, after the game he left the field battered and bruised.

The Boks are toying with the option of playing either Canan Moodie or Lukhanyo Am in the number 14 jersey, while the experienced Handré Pollard, is expected to start at flyhalf.

Upfront, Jean Kleyn, could come in at lock to add physicality and height to the pack in order to counter a play such as Maro Itoje.

Canan Moodie - Johan Orton

The Springbok Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, hinted that they may take a horses for courses approach.

“There’s a temptation to start with Lukhanyo Am and there’s also a temptation to start with Handré Pollard and Faf de Klerk,” said Erasmus.

“There’s also a temptation to put Canan Moodie in the mix with the way England plays, along with going for a six-two split.

“There’s a lot of temptation because we have a 33-man squad where everyone is fit and that's probably the reason why we're announcing our squad only 48 hours before the game.

“We also would like to see what England will do and the way they're going. When France went six-two, we went five-three.

“The halfback pairing and the flyhalf may switch around and Lukhanyo is looking great, but so is Canan.

“Upfront, Jean Kleyn can also bring a lot from a physical perspective as England has very good lineout options.”

This team announcement will take place on Thursday morning at 9am.

Danny Care - Planet Rugby

Meanwhile, the English camp are wanting to prove the critics wrong and make a big statement on Saturday as they attempt to secure their spot in the final for a record fifth time. The English lost 15-6 to South Africa in the 2007 final at Stade de France, while in the 2019 final they were hammered 32-12 by the Boks in Yokohama.

England’s lead up to the World Cup was not an ideal one, and they have flown very low under the radar at the tournament itself. They have had one of the easier groups and their quarter-final against Fiji was probably also the easiest of the four games.

The Harlequins and England scrumhalf, Danny Care, said they want to prove people wrong against the Springboks.

“I think the character of this team was questioned before the World Cup and whether we had anything in us to come out here and do anything,” said the Quins halfback.

“Hopefully, we have quietly gone about our business and ticked off a few wins. Four from four in the pools, a fifth in the quarter-final against a team who everybody was saying was going to surprise us and beat us.

“It clicked when we got over here, training went up a notch, perhaps because of the severity of where we were and the realisation that we were at a World Cup - the last one for a few of us, the first for others.

“That mixture came together and we gave it our all. We feel like we deserve to be here. We are going to give it our all next weekend and try and make everyone at home proud.

“We have got a lot of lads who played in the World Cup final four years ago, a lot of lads who have won big trophies, won big games. We will use all of that next week to hopefully get another big win.

“We are delighted to be in the semi-final of this World Cup - one step closer to the dream.”

Saturday’s quarter-final between the Springboks and England in Saint-Denis kicks off at 21:00.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport