• Chronicle: England is exhibited before the All Blacks (19-7)
  • World Final Box

Wales, with its suffocating and structured game, faces South Africa and its destructive line of strikers (10:00 am) in Yokohama, for a place for the World Cup final, where England is already waiting.

Warren Gatland, coach of the XV del Puerro, has warned that the second semifinal "will not be the most beautiful game in the world", in part due to the unparalleled strength of the Wallabies' first line, which a week ago revealed Japan (26-3). In their quarter crossing, the Welsh also sweated against France (20-19), when only the expulsion in the 49th minute of Sébastien Vahaamahina, author of an ugly elbow on Aaron Wainwright, turned around a cross dominated by the Gauls until the rest (10-19).

Gatland intends to take away the bad taste of the last two World Cup events and finish this dream year, with his team installed in the second place in the world rankings after completing the Grand Slam in Six Nations in March. "We always box above our category, but reaching the final would be a great achievement," says the coach, who can not count on the injured Liam Williams.

The rematch of 2015

The disappointment against France in the semifinal of 2011 (8-9) and the defeat in the quarterfinals against South Africa in 2015 (18-23) should spur the men led by Jonathan Davies. "I hope we can pay them with the same coin," the second center revealed, recovered from his knee problem and will form again with Hadleigh Parkes.

The 14 consecutive triumphs between February 2018 and last August, based on a tight defense, precision with the foot and a formidable ability to repeat offensive sequences, inspire the optimism of the British fans, which will re-sing the compasses of Land of My Fathers

Your adversaries know all these gears. Especially the South Africans, who have yielded in the last four precedents. "They know how to take away your possession and ground and impose their game with your foot. It is not a very classy rugby, but it is suffocating," said Handré Pollard, opening of the Springboks.

Foot precision

Probably with some more muscle up and more legs behind, even without its Cheslin Kolbe wing, South Africans have followed a much more winding path in Japan. Dying at the end of 2017, his recovery is due to the arrival of Rassie Erasmus on the bench, who once again emphasized his great virtue: precision with his foot.

This effective recipe raises the options of South Africa, which always reached a final (1995 and 2007) ended up raising the title. "Some lost faith in us, but we tried to earn their respect again. People begin to believe again." All these hopes must now pass through the Welsh filter.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • rugby
  • sports
  • Rugby World

Rugby World Cup All Japan dreams of the sequel to a miracle

Rugby World Cup 2019 The challenge of playing two games every four days

RugbyThe 'hat trick' of the Barrett, three brothers for the history of the World Cup