The Springboks came out swinging with the 7-1 forward laden bench and came up agonisingly short against a fired up Irish outfit. The path for the Boks to go all the way has just got that much harder or has it? France looms large in the quarter finals for the Boks with a daunting task awaiting them. France at home is a very tall task for any team but with the doubt hanging over Dupont and a few nervy periods of play the French may be at their most vulnerable at this stage rather than riding high in the finals. New Zealand are knock out specialists and they will be tough for any team to knock over especially them smarting from a difficult RWC preparation.
Looking at the Boks now they have their backs against the wall with a tough outing in Paris but it is not all doom or gloom for multiple reasons. Had the Springboks won all the pressure of being the favourites would have placed immense pressure on Siya Kolisi’s men. Historically the Boks are not good front runners and I think the pressure would have been all consuming in the pressure cooker of the RWC. After taking some time to let the emotions of the loss settle the Boks would be encouraged by the manner of the loss. No loss is great but looking at the opportunities missed, penalty kicks missed and 50/50 calls going the wrong way. It was hardly a one sided victory and on any other day the ball would bounce the way of the Boks and the result would be different. With regards to the kicking woes – the calming presence of Handre Pollard is in the squad and Tonga will be a key match to test his match fitness before he is unleashed on France. I feel for Manie Libbok but at the RWC kicking is a non negotiable in order to win the tight games so all of his impressive play on attack does not outweigh his kicking percentages. Also remember the first half try was a missed tackle on Bundie Aki by Libbok in the lead up that Pollard would almost certainly have made.
The bomb squad looked impressive as always in turning the momentum with some flashy individual performances from Ox Nche and RG Snyman. The bomb squad has the ability to change outcomes and will become more important as the tournament goes on. Ireland looked gassed in the last 20 minutes compared to the Boks and this doesn’t bode well against New Zealand as they are renowned for ending games with high energy. I am predicting a win for New Zealand over Ireland for this very reason and for all the hype over the Irish they won’t win the RWC.
This RWC is so tight and on any day the top teams can all win but it now comes down to match ups and how the teams manage the injuries and tactics. On the evidence of today the smallest of margins can change the outcome of the game and I am glad that it wasn’t a glaring officiating call that made the difference. Big games are often decided on a knife edge and tonight was no different with Ireland winning a few marginal battles. The biggest difference is that Ireland doesn’t get any better as this is the full strength team whilst the Boks still have Handre Pollard up their sleeve which would be worth a bucket load of points off the boot.
So looking at the bigger picture I think the Boks are better off playing France in the quarter finals and also the pressure of being favourites would be more damaging than anything else. France are no easy pushovers but they will struggle to last with the bomb squad so if the Boks can keep their X factor players in check long enough to be in reach for the second half they can turn the screws. Rassie and Jacques will keep the squad together and I expect them to come back stronger after this defeat.
Leave a Reply