ex SuperSport
South Africa went into the second Saturday of this Rugby World Cup under intense pressure but by the end of it they had not only survived their acid test, they’d also seen the road to the ultimate prize potentially made a whole lot easier.
It is difficult after the events of the weekend to decide what was more significant for the Boks – their impressive win over Samoa at Villa Park in Birmingham, or what happened to England later at Twickenham later on the same day. Maybe the victory over Samoa just shades it for had they not put it together in the midland city they would not be in a position to be contemplating a play-off scenario that might not include having to face hosts England on their home ground.
There is still some way to go in England’s group, the so-called Pool of Death. Wales, after digging so deep in winning a game that was almost like their final, face a potentially perilous obstacle in the form of Fiji in Cardiff on Thursday night in what will amount to the big midweek game this week. It is perilous because Fiji have knocked them out of World Cups before (2007) and because there is such a short turn-around for Sam Warburton’s men after Twickenham.
And of course if England knock over Australia at Twickenham this coming Saturday, they’ll be right back in it. But for now you’d have to say the hosts are the team under the most pressure, and the Boks will certainly consider playing Wales in their quarterfinal at Twickenham a more pleasant proposition than playing England there.
In fact, all the other teams should be rooting for Wales to get through, for the physical toll that this World Cup has taken on them could well make them easy pickings once the play-off phase arrives. They were already weighed under by an injury crisis, but in edging out England they suffered three more injuries that effectively leave them short of virtually their entire first choice backline.
Of course, the Boks now have injuries of their own. Skipper Jean de Villiers is flying home, and time will only tell how much the team ends up missing the unquantifiable quality that is his leadership. But sad though it is to see him leave after an amazing career – he has announced his retirement from international rugby – it is difficult to advance any argument that the player he was at the end will be missed that much.
He had little or no influence in the win over Samoa, and in the end the harsh reality of it may have been that the fractured jaw that prevented him from playing in the six weeks where it was critical for him to get game time after the long lay-off following knee surgery, should have seen him left out of the World Cup squad.
After losing six kilograms during that period because he couldn’t eat solids, De Villiers looked like he was struggling to have any physical impact on the games. It is great that his career ended on the high of leading his team to a bounce back win, and it was an impressive victory, but after Saturday it was still probable that had De Villiers remained available, coach Heyneke Meyer would have faced a tough selection decision.
As it turns out though De Villiers’ departure is coinciding with a bit of a mini-crisis at centre, as Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel were both on the injury list that team doctor Craig Roberts read out in Newcastle on Sunday night. There will be more clarity on both of them later on Monday, but if one of them is ruled out it will mean that De Villiers’ replacement, Jan Serfontein, walks straight into the starting team.
There have been some justifiable questions on social media from back home on whether Meyer perhaps shouldn’t have called up a specialist outside centre instead. De Villiers was wearing the 13 on his back in what turned out to be his last game, and there are some question marks after the Japan loss over Kriel’s readiness to take on the massive defensive responsibility required of a player in that position.
Theoretically inside centre could be covered by Handre Pollard if De Allende has to sit out one game, but it is hard to see the solution should outside centre cover be required. JP Pietersen, back to his best on the wing with a try scoring hattrick at the weekend, is the official back-up, but has never looked the finished article as a No 13.
Regardless of who Meyer selects for what remains a critical game – probably the Pool decider – against Scotland at St James Park this week, the Boks should feel they saw the benefits of following Meyer’s instructions in the Birmingham game.
It was a game where they built an innings by taking the three pointers on offer rather than allowing their opponents to stay in the game by never being more than seven points behind. They pointed to Pietersen’s first half intercept try as the game changer, but it was really the penalty Pollard kicked that took the Boks more than a converted try ahead of opponents for the first time in the tournament that knocked back the Samoan challenge.
This was a game where the Boks bristled with intent in the opening minutes as opposed to the flatness that Japan in Brighton and before that Argentina in Durban in the Rugby Championship were able to exploit. The quality of their forward play was excellent, their physicality was huge, Fourie du Preez made all the difference at scrumhalf and Pollard was able to control the game as Samoa were forced to spend large tracts of time pinned in their own half.
In short, it was what Meyer said he wanted in Brighton. Birmingham showed, in some of the selections too – De Allende simply has to wear the No 12 if fit, no question of that – what mistakes shouldn’t be repeated.
The upshot is that today it isn’t the South Africans who are being accused of playing stupid rugby and making silly selections, but England coach Stuart Lancaster. The decision to kick for touch and go for the win against Wales with three minutes to go at Twickenham was only brave if you countenanced out the fact that a win would give Wales four log points, a draw only two.
When you saw that reality, it became one of the most bizarre decisions made on a modern rugby field at the highest level of the game. Time will tell whether it meant the players from the host team will be back playing club rugby when the knock-outs arrive. It has become a distinct possibility.
