Rugby World Cup champion In Mike Tindall’s opinion, France was by far the superior team in their loss to the Springboks.

The defending champions won by a slim margin on Sunday, ruining the hosts’ prospects of winning the Webb Ellis Cup.

To set up a World Cup quarterfinal matchup with England, Jacques Nienaber’s team won 29-28.

The Red Rose defeated Fiji 30-24 to go to the next round, but they will be the underdogs in their matchup this weekend.

As the former center suggested that the Boks put on a smash-and-grab performance, Tindall fervently desired for them to face Les Bleus in the semifinals.

More emotional over France loss

“That game affected me more than the English game. On the podcast The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby, he remarked, “I just so wanted France to achieve where they deserve to be.

“They were by far and away the superior team in that game, and they deserved to win.

“South Africa missed 43 tackles, they needed to make 153, they lost on all stats, but they had three snapshots from box-kicks that were not handled effectively.

“They didn’t produce anything, but South Africa always does that during World Cups. If you think back to 2019, I claimed that South Africa winning the World Cup would be a shame, and they did.

“If you go through everything, France had more metres, defenders beaten – France beat 43 compared to 12 – and clean breaks.

“They should have won that game. That first 20 minutes was breathless, and it could have been 14-0, but suddenly it’s 7-7.”

The game ought to have gone their way. It could have been 14-0 throughout the first 20 minutes, but now it’s 7-7.

In the semi-final matchup with South Africa, the majority of people are writing off England, but Tindall thinks anything can happen in one-off contests.

The largest reason in this, according to him, is the pressure that comes with being in a rugby semifinal.

Rugby knockouts are the only time you have to believe in them. It’s not like watching a fall television series.

“There is only one game, it lasts for 80 minutes, and a few decisions can make a difference.

 

“They (England) will adopt a little bit of a siege mindset, but it all depends on their goals. Why can’t we play our one game in this semi-final after South Africa played theirs (in 2019)?

James Haskell in agreement

James Haskell, another English analyst who participated in the podcast, concurred with Tindall regarding the Springboks’ chances of winning the championship in 2019.

“That’s actually true. All they did was that. They didn’t play any good rugby until the final match, according to Haskell.

“I believe that failing to give this England team a chance is quite disrespectful. I believe there are some incredible athletes, amazing coaches, and some men that put in a lot of effort while yet managing to get things done.

The previous events are unimportant because we are in the semifinals.

Haskell, on the other hand, was far more complimentary of the Springboks’ traits, applauding their tenacity and never-give-up spirit.

“I think you’ve just got to give South Africa credit,” he continued. They play a certain style of rugby and are simply brutal at it.

“We’ve attempted to marginalize them at times, but you can never do that. If they continue and succeed in their terrible endeavor, I won’t be shocked.