and I have a dreadful fear of a soaring barometer of domestic violence and suicides upon the result of an All Black loss. One cannot help but feel empathy for the families of these peoples as their beloved and mighty team succumb to BokPower. Thems the breaks folk, get over it. By tomorrow the AB's legs would feel as if it's turned to jelly, their breathing would suffer as the pressure mounts ahead of a fateful eighty minutes. Emphysema would not be the cause.....the pressure of facing the mighty Boks on home turf at Ellis Park in front of a fanatical crowd is enough to block the flow of air down the windpipe. Niceties in this forum goes out the window and struggling friendships with Kiwis is put on ice. Don't shoot me folks, I'm merely the messenger!
So there you have it.....go and suck eggs if you disagree, don't tell me.
But on a less serious note I had a think about Bok strategies that would effect a win.
Firstly I had a look at how the AB's win and it's fair to say their point of attack stems from the breakdown, rarely from set piece play. One of their main strengths is from turover ball at the ruck, from there they put the opposition to the sword with slick movemnt through the hands inevitably leading to tries. Their confidence soar after the first try and they become more relaxed as they apply the blowtorch.
That's all fine and dandy but it ain't going to go to plan because the Boks have employed a specialist to help them in what was for a long time a weakness, check the stats, we have a better strike rate at winning ball at the ruck than any other team in the RC.Once the shock hits the AB's that they've been robbed of their traditional feeding ground the lack of a plan B is going to squeeze down on their ability to breathe. Some might say it's a common trait with Kiwis as we witnessed in the recent America's Cup. Call it a choke...I prefer to call it a goitre, each to his own, the end result is the same.
Enjoy the game Kiwis, very nice of you to come a calling but be afraid....be very afraid.
