7 Sept - 20 Oct, 2007
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1920: "With 40 minutes to go until kick-off on a balmy Paris evening, the Stade de France is relatively quiet, with only a few hundred people in their seats. "The Springboks player are strolling around the pitch, getting their bearings, while coach Jake White is deep in conversation with his 'technical consultant' Eddie Jones, the former Wallabies coach, perhaps plotting where exactly Bryan Habana will split the English defence open? "Outside, in the bars surrounding the ground, the red rose army are fuelling up for what could be a painful evening."
BBC Sport's Bryn Palmer at the Stade de France 1917: Matt Dawson, now working for the BBC Radio 5live out in France, says England will have to limit themselves to a safety-first style if they want to have any hope of victory. "England will have a gameplan, and I think it will be similar to Argentina's against France in the first game," he says. "If England try to get too expansive there will be only one winner. Bryan Habana and co will rip them to shreds. I think Mike Catt will take control and there will be lots of up and unders and tactical kicking." 1913: As if England weren't in enough trouble already, former coach Andy Robinson has tipped them to pull off a surprise victory over the Springboks. The last time Robinson, who lost 13 of his 22 Tests in charge of England, made such a bold claim was to advise his successor Brian Ashton not to pick Jonny Wilkinson for the first match of the Six Nations. Wilkinson scored 27 points in a fairytale comeback. 1900: BBC Sport presenter John Inverdale is not totally ruling out an England win in the Stade de France, but his case is not exactly overflowing with conviction. "All logic says England cannot win this game - but sport is not about logic," he says on Radio 5live. 1855: Evening all, and welcome to the build-up to the pivotal clash of Pool A as England, the defending champions, take on South Africa, the side second in the world rankings. It is difficult to know where to start in terms of putting England's situation in context. These are a few of the pertinent facts: captain Phil Vickery is suspended first-choice fly-half and goal-kicker Jonny Wilkinson is injured second-choice fly-half and goal-kicker Olly Barkley is injured Andy Farrell, who has never scored a point at international level in union, is England's goal-kicker
BBC Sport's Bryn Palmer at the Stade de France 1917: Matt Dawson, now working for the BBC Radio 5live out in France, says England will have to limit themselves to a safety-first style if they want to have any hope of victory. "England will have a gameplan, and I think it will be similar to Argentina's against France in the first game," he says. "If England try to get too expansive there will be only one winner. Bryan Habana and co will rip them to shreds. I think Mike Catt will take control and there will be lots of up and unders and tactical kicking." 1913: As if England weren't in enough trouble already, former coach Andy Robinson has tipped them to pull off a surprise victory over the Springboks. The last time Robinson, who lost 13 of his 22 Tests in charge of England, made such a bold claim was to advise his successor Brian Ashton not to pick Jonny Wilkinson for the first match of the Six Nations. Wilkinson scored 27 points in a fairytale comeback. 1900: BBC Sport presenter John Inverdale is not totally ruling out an England win in the Stade de France, but his case is not exactly overflowing with conviction. "All logic says England cannot win this game - but sport is not about logic," he says on Radio 5live. 1855: Evening all, and welcome to the build-up to the pivotal clash of Pool A as England, the defending champions, take on South Africa, the side second in the world rankings. It is difficult to know where to start in terms of putting England's situation in context. These are a few of the pertinent facts:
Source: BBC Sport
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