Wales vs South Africa: Warren Gatland thinks Springboks have ‘very good chance’ of beating England

Gatland thinks South Africa can beat England and suggests Eddie Jones’ side may have already played their final

Warren Gatland believes South Africa can beat England in the Rugby World Cup final after his Wales side came up agonisingly short in a 19-16 semi-final defeat.

A humble Gatland admitted that the better side won on the day, with South Africa sucking the life out of Wales by slowing the pace with their inch-perfect tactical kicking, and fly-half Handre Pollard delivered the crushing blow to Wales four minutes from time by kicking his fourth penalty of the night to put the Springboks into their third World Cup final.

Having now had experience of playing both England and South Africa within the last 10 weeks, Gatland believes the South Africa that his side came up short against have what it takes to match England even though the convincingly beat New Zealand on Saturday in the tournament’s opening semi-final clash.

“They have the physicality to match England. I thought England were outstanding last night but they have a very good chance. They might have to be a bit more expansive the way they want to play. They had a pretty simple game plan tonight in terms of the scrums and box kicking from De Klerk and Pollard.

“It was very effective and for them it was about making the final and doing whatever it took to do that.

“We have seen in previous World Cups that teams sometimes play their final in semi-finals and don’t always turn up for a final.

“So it will be interesting to see how England are next week and it can be a good game.”

Gatland accepted that Wales just came off second best to the Springboks, but did stress how proud he was of a side that had reached the last four of a World Cup for the second time in three tournaments.

“We knew it was going to be an arm wrestle and we stayed in that arm wrestle,” the New Zealander added. “I thought there was a momentum shift until the last four or five minutes and we started to get going but unfortunately we were penalised and the game got away from us.

“I am not taking away from South Africa and I thought they played really well. They were strong and physical at the scrum and drove pretty well and their collision stuff was good. They were willing to take us on up front. There was not a lot of flowing rugby played, we tried to move the ball a little bit in the first-half and we went through the arm wrestle and there was a lot of attrition. But I am very proud of the boys in never giving up. With a little bit of luck and a bounce of the ball it might have been different.”

South Africa’s progression to the final continues their remarkable turnaround under head coach Rassie Erasmus, who took charge of a Springboks side in disarray two years ago and could potentially transform them into World Cup winners in the short time he’s been in the job.

When told of Gatland’s belief that they can successfully challenge England, Erasmus said: “It’s good we can go all the way, that’s great!

“I think we’re a team that’s been together for 25 test matches, we’ve had personnel changes coming in and we’ve played teams with different styles. We’re still in a place where we suddenly have to adapt to play teams, like New Zealand with a fast running game, we’re used to that, but a team like Wales with a long kicking game is different for us to try and play from our own 22 and so on.

“I think [Gatland’s] right, there are definitely some areas of our game that we need to improve. But we’ve given ourselves a chance.

“We’ve played four games with England in the last 18 months and it’s 2-2. The three test matches in SA and then the last one in Twickenham, so we adapt to the way they play but they’re obviously a lot better than when we last played them and we saw last night in the way that they dismantled New Zealand. But we give ourselves a chance with a six-day turnaround. I’m not 100 per cent sure that the World Cup final will be won by a very expansive style and wonderful tries – it might be, I might be wrong – but I think we’ll go and try and grind it out.”

A downcast Warren Gatland admitted the better side won the World Cup semi-final (Getty)

The defeat does not end Wales’s campaign, with Gatland set to lead his side for the final time in the third-place play-off that will hand him one last attempt to beat the All Blacks for the first time before heading back to his homeland to coach the Chiefs and start his preparations for his third consecutive Lions tour as head coach where he will come up once again against Erasmus’s South Africa side.

“For me, my last game in charge against the All Blacks will be hugely monumental,” Gatland said. “As a coach, apart from being with the Lions, it’s the team I haven’t beat with Wales.

“It would be nice to be able to achieve that and then I’ve got some excitement ahead about the challenges going back to New Zealand with the Chiefs and then back to the Lions in 12 months or so and then try to have some revenge on tonight’s game against South Africa. Maybe in a couple of years against the Lions we’ll be able to do that.”