Replacement flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked a last-gasp penalty as South Africa somehow found a way to get past a dominant England on Saturday and claim a 16-15 victory that sent them into a World Cup final against fellow triple champions New Zealand.
The defending champions looked on the verge of defeat as England's kicking game kept them pegged back in their own half on a rainy Paris night and earned a 15-6 lead, But they hit back with a try by RG Snyman before replacement Pollard landed a penalty from almost on the halfway line to snatch victory.
That early control earned Owen Farrell two penalty opportunities, both of which he slotted for a 6-0 lead. England, widely written off and 5-1 outsiders despite winning five successive games from the easier side of the draw, stretched their lead to 15-6 with a brilliant 47-metre Farrell drop goal and an upset looked likely.With half an hour to go all the South African replacements were on as their coaches desperately sought to find a foothold, though England were to pay a heavy price for their failure to turn their dominance into any more points.
Pollard converted to close to within two points 10 minutes from time but it was still England making most of the running until they conceded a scrum penalty with three minutes to go.
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