'Lost for words': Outrage over 'pathetic' development in World Cup haka drama

Fans have slammed World Rugby officials for punishing England over their 'Flying V' haka stand-off in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.

The English team made headlines before their stirring 19-7 victory against the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup, with a stunning act of defiance to the Kiwis' traditional war dance.

Fans flooded social media to hail the English players for their unique response to the haka that saw several players stray unconventionally inside New Zealand's half.

'ENJOY THE PLAYOFF': England coach's brutal sledge for rugby rival

England's players were told to move back into their own half at the time but the scenes were described on the official Twitter page of the Rugby World Cup as "incredible".

In a bizarre twist, World Rugby has now fined England over the incident for breaking regulations about crossing the halfway line during the haka.

The fine is reportedly less than the roughly $3200 France were hit with for their infamous 2011 haka challenge before the World Cup final in Auckland.

As meagre as the sum is though, the fact England have been fined in the first place has led to an outpouring of anger on social media, with some fans branding World Rugby as hypocrites.

As controversial as England's punishment is, it will do little to disrupt their preparations for Saturday night's World Cup final against South Africa.

‘Two most powerful rugby teams’ set to collide

England assistant coach John Mitchell has billed Saturday's decider as a collision of the sport's two most powerful teams.

Eddie Jones's men stormed into the International Stadium Yokohama showpiece by steamrolling reigning champions New Zealand 19-7 and now occupy first place in the global rankings.

South Africa edged past Wales with a dominant performance from their giant pack, who have bulldozed a path through Japan with muscular inside centre Damian de Allende remaining a constant threat.

"What we are going to witness are the two most powerful rugby teams in the world," defence coach John Mitchell said.

"South Africa are strong and well-coached and the gain line is going to be huge. They play in a particular way, but you must always be prepared for anything that comes at you.

"They have a very clever scrum half in Faf de Klerk, who is sharp. And (five-eighth) Handre Pollard is in really, really good form.

"They have second-rowers who love winning the gain line. They have their own armoury. It's exciting.

"Against New Zealand we dealt with a lot of speed, a lot of footwork, but South Africa are certainly going to be a team that is more direct.

"Pressure is definitely coming to come at us and that asks questions of your fundamentals.

"It will come down to the core basics that are really important to us - supporting your mate on the floor and in the carry.

"Both teams enjoy dominating the gain like and kicking and are effective in that area.

"But we also feel we are very adaptable too - we don't just play one way so that's one of strengths."

New Zealand were overwhelmed in possibly the greatest performance in English rugby history but Mitchell - who coached New Zealand to the semi-finals in 2003 - insists there is another level to be reached.

"We are really excited by the week. In reality, all we have done is present ourselves with another opportunity at the right end of the tournament," he said.

"We want to get better and we feel we can get better as well. Everyone is really calm and eager to get onto their work. We just got to go and earn it now."

With agencies