Poms pasted in Paris
14 Sep 2007
The prophecy of an England pummeling came to pass when South Africa secured a 36-0 whitewash in St Denis.
With only two pool matches remaining against the USA and Tonga, the Boks are certain to top Pool A. By beating England, they have secured an easier path to the semi-finals.
The way South Africa began it appeared as if a 50-pointer was on the cards. After the initial exchanges, JP Pietersen broke down the blindside off a line-out and found Fourie du Preez in good support. The Bok scrumhalf lost his footing but was still able to set up flanker Juan Smith for a well worked try.
What followed was an all out assault on the England back three. South Africa dominated the line-outs and the ball never went further than first-receiver, where one of Butch James, Frans Steyn or Du Preez would send it into orbit. Their accuracy was telling, with the likes of Jason Robinson often caught out by the Bok chasers. Du Preez also showed some great vision when kicking infield off a penalty, finding space and Jaque Fourie collecting off the run. Unfortunately, the centre lost the ball just before he tried to place the ball over the line.
England were rudderless without Jonny Wilkinson, with Andy Farrell and Mike Catt producing poor efforts in clearing from the flyhalf channel. The number of mistakes the duo made in this position was also unacceptable, be it through a misdirected kick or spilled ball, it just served to heap more pressure on an already battered English defence.
Victor Matfield provided the platform from the line-out, while his second row partner Bakkies Botha got through an exemplary amount of work around the park. The South African scrum were also strong at scrumtime even though they received little opportunity to attack.
Wikus van Heerden was a worthy understudy to Schalk Burger, carrying the ball up strongly and pilfering a few balls off the deck. His cleaning around the rucks was also integral to quick ball, as this enabled the South African kickers to drive the English back into their own half.
Du Preez was in masterful form from the base, be it with ball in hand or with his formidable boot. He created the first try for Smith and then sparked the second just before half-time, stepping past a rushing defender and surging upfield. He drew the last man superbly before freeing up Pietersen, who raced in unopposed and ensured the Boks went to the break with a 20-0 advantage.
England persisted with their tight tactics but the poor attack evident in the World Cup warm ups was once again the inhibitor. Catt never challenged the Bok defence and Farrell was equally impotent. Anybody who expected a surprise in the department would have been bitterly disappointed. But conventional wisdom would suggest this group wasn’t numerous.
England scrapped, but South Africa never allowed the play to become scrappy. They continued to pin the Poms back in their own half, and the killer blow was delivered in the 64th minute through Pietersen’s second try. Du Preez was the orchestrator once again, benefitting from a great forward platform to race round the blindside and direct a simple run in for the South African right winger.
The gap between the two sides was gigantic, but South Afirca never shifted from third gear. They cruised to this win and at the same time ensured England suffered the ultimate humiliation by never securing a point.
For all his magic, Du Preez will be a concern for the Boks after clutching his troublesome shoulder late in the second half. He was duly substituted and the South Africans will hope there is not further damage.
England may not be so lucky, with Robinson pulling up with looked to be a serious hamstring injury. Although Wilkinson and Olly Barkley should be fit for the playoffs, the loss of the veteran should hit England just as hard. Jamie Noon was also stretchered from the field in the dying minutes and could also miss the deciding game against Samoa.
If this game confirmed anything it was that the Webb Ellis Trophy will change hands by the end of this tournament. The big question for England is whether they can surpass Samoa and qualify for the playoffs. On this sort of effort, even the most ardent English fan may be in doubt.
South Africa – Tries: Juan Smith, JP Pietersen (2). Conversions: Percy Montgomery (3). Penalties: Francois Steyn, Montgomery (4).
England – None.
By Jon Cardinelli
601 Comments
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15 Sep 2007, 04:25 am
More Princess, assume the cable made it then?
Think we had the same commentators, they had little to say towards the end and the captain almost shed a tear during the interview…
Have to add a special word to Robinson, outside of the hammy he pulled with the shock of seeing the tryline and a man on his outside, a very brave performance by the little man. He was battered all day long by the Boks but did not take one step back, blood all over when he came off and surely a very tender body for the bloke. Hats off to him and all respect.
15 Sep 2007, 04:26 am
Ian that final would be the best. Have made two days free either side of the event for celebrations or commiserating.
15 Sep 2007, 04:28 am
Fantail
No, you missed my big news ! I found dodgy little Cable TV company yesterday afternoon who were willing (for a fee) to hook me up last night for just 3 months. So 11:25pm last night I was watching a re-run of USA v Tonga ! I am all set now …
Biggles appeared to do a quick “Mea Culpa” & then scuttled of like the Pom he is
15 Sep 2007, 04:29 am
This puts France’s close win against the Pommes at Twickers in perspective. If we play the French in Cardiff we will put 30/40 points on them.
15 Sep 2007, 04:29 am
At least he pitched Princess, even if it was for a mere few seconds…
15 Sep 2007, 04:31 am
More Koos
Yes – he called me to say he was running late. I told him I don’t care but you set it up before you go home … He did, finishing the set up @ 11:25pm
However my broadaband died completely (Internet & TV) for about 4 hours yesterday evening – strangely not long after I had made the Cable TV booking – jealousy I am thinking …
15 Sep 2007, 04:36 am
RP
Well done Boks, congratulations. Apparently stuck to your game plan. Have not seen the game myself yet. It will be screened on a delayed basis here in the US.
Some perspective though would be wise. Despite BH’s blathering nonsense these past weeks bear in mind Ashton’s comments earlier this year. He said that England are playing 2nd division rugby, his words not mine. Clearly that has not changed up to this point & will not change in the near future. So the Boks need to be tested by a more worthwhile opponent before evaluating their true potential. Granted a team can only play as good as the opposition offered, but some caution at this stage would be prudent.
15 Sep 2007, 04:40 am
JT
The Boks have thrown their arms around success & big b*ggers that they are will not let go easily. They have had the best “prep” games of any team so far leading into QFs.
15 Sep 2007, 04:46 am
RP
Not sure why I addressed that message to you Princess, force of habit I guess
Pleased to hear you got your cable under control. You will probably see some of the games before me. SETANTA devote a lot of time to soccer which chews up the schedule for rugby. But they have promised to screen all 48 games. It’s not so much fun though when you already know the result
15 Sep 2007, 04:57 am
396# Lol brilliant
15 Sep 2007, 05:30 am
# 358
“Now Gerber, didn’t Meisiekind look the part, too????”
Yes yes but really he should have started.
we have one weakness that is obvious
our scrum and we need to isolate this against the Abs or french in the final. I think JW should rest Smit and Os until the finals. We have soo much depth in the backline but the pack is the problem
this is my pack for the next game
08.Rossouw 06/10 against eng, solid defence though
07.
06.van Heerden 7/10 awesome at breakdown
05.Matfield 7/10 solid at lineout
04.Botha 7/10 better discipline this time.
03.
02.Botha – needs to start in the next game
01.Steenkam- needs gametime
15 Sep 2007, 05:30 am
he Sprinbok boys are happy
The Springbok boys are we
We never never quarrel
We never disagree
For the motto of the Springboks
Is come and drink with me
For the motto of the Springboks
Is come and drink with me.
Forwards form the scrum
Half-back puts it in
Half-back to the centre
Centre to the wing
Wing scores a try
The English begin to cry
Hurrah hurrah
For we can sing and play
Hurrah hurrah
For we can sing and play.
Bokke!
15 Sep 2007, 05:38 am
#407 JT well said and good to hear the truth from a relative ‘neutral’.
The game tonite with OZ vs Dragons will be on a more pivotal scale than SA/Poms. A good win by OZ will change the colour of the quarters and semis somewhat, still waiting on the outcome of the group of death and sense there maybe another upset on the way.
15 Sep 2007, 05:58 am
John Coward is a hunt.
15 Sep 2007, 06:01 am
Manly …
Oohh so cranky so early in the day & after a Bok win to boot ?
15 Sep 2007, 06:04 am
Guys dont write off the possibility of a Argentina/ NZ final.
If the Dragons get over the OZ and France bow out of ‘D’ with Argentina at the top, we will be looking at SA vs OZ quarter, with the poss: of SA meeting Argentina in the semis. Watch out the underdog on a roll.
NZ will get to play Ireland in the semis and if the Argies surprise SA it could be a NZ vs Argentina final. (We wish).
15 Sep 2007, 06:05 am
Manly and such bad spelling…
15 Sep 2007, 06:05 am
fantail
You are getting a bit carried away there don’t you think ?
15 Sep 2007, 06:08 am
Just dropping in to say congratulations to all South Africans on a magnificent all round performance by your team. SA look very good for a place in the final now, a top display of total rugby from all players used. A marker for all the rest of the teams to aspire to. You all must be very happy.
And manlybok above, your right as well.
15 Sep 2007, 06:14 am
Great effort from the Boks,good game plan(Eddie J?)and stuck to it for the full 80. Scrums and lineouts still need lots of work.
Viva le Bokke
15 Sep 2007, 06:41 am
That was a good win for SA, much better performance, more complete, few things to fix but in a all-most complete game of rugby display by the boks, you can’t say too much other than congrats to the men in green.
England will now have to lift against the South sea islanders, dare I say we may see an upset?!? wishful thinking but not a bad thought.
15 Sep 2007, 06:41 am
Hi Princess,
Where the hell have you been??
While you were away the SKY fell in… and Schalk was suspended in a game where they should either have cited 30 players or none at all.
I got so the moer in that I got a pain down the side of my chest that I was sure was a heart attack so while I was trying to tell myself that i’ts only a game,Koos made me laugh and I passed a large amount of wind(myself stukkend gepoep)…(dodgy salmon sandwich)……and the pain was gone.
15 Sep 2007, 06:50 am
Well done to the Boks, a disciplined and calculated win.
15 Sep 2007, 06:55 am
Australia V ENgland in the Qtr-Finals. But if Wales pull off the upset of the World Cup then we will have one of the most interesting Qtr-Final series ever. Fingers crossed.
15 Sep 2007, 07:28 am
C’mon boys I asked Keo to save all the comments where JW and the Boks were slagged off by our “loyal” fans. Useless and **** were words that featured prominently. You @rseholes know who you are and I must admit a lot of you are professing total commitment to the cause. I am just pleased that our Boks are made of sterner stuff than our fans. Petty- perhaps but never two faced!
15 Sep 2007, 07:33 am
Loosehead, how many penalties did we concede in the game? it was min hey, I don’t think i ever saw us give away so few.
15 Sep 2007, 07:36 am
Good game by the boks,I cant understand some of you guys yes there are some areas we have to work on before the QF,but **** cant we just enjoy the performance this weekend and start pulling it apart on monday?
15 Sep 2007, 07:36 am
so hopefully it will be a sa nz final, now that will be a game!!!
southern hemisphere rules!!! (except for the aussies)
15 Sep 2007, 07:38 am
Agreed BulAnt
15 Sep 2007, 07:43 am
Manly
Heavens that was a horrible mental picture you painted – esp as I do not eat seafood to begin with – Bleuch
I followed the SB citing – agree there was no intent & the punishment was over the top, not to mention plenty of others who should have kept him company at the judiciary. However, fair or not, best he learns to tidy up his play else they will ping him again.
I had no idea “Doktor Koos” was so effective in providing “relief” – Clearly a man of many hidden talents !
I cheered fr yr Boks last night so best you wear black to encourage my ABs tonight
15 Sep 2007, 07:48 am
this article i think misses some points. we did not have a good scrum. in fact we lost a tight head on the hook. we also had our scrum turned a few times. BJ was absolutely dominated by sheridan. i dont for one second believe our scrum was ok.
our lineouts were ok. that gets pass mark.
the 2 other issues i have was the below par performance from oupa danie. so slow again. all the talk before was how vital he was for our big titanic clash with england on the slow fields. he was average, got caught with the ball behind the line, made half @rsed tackles with amazing regularity. i cant wait till burger is back, and the intensity of our team returns. we looked dull, bored and really unmotivated for that game.
the positives i saw, was our determination to hold england to 0. that impressed me. percy’s compsure also got it for me. smit’s leadership to take his team to a good win that will put some demons to rest for long last was good to see too.
jp looked to slowly start to believe in himself some more. habana is getting opposition defensive lines doing their homework. they know they need 2 guys and a dedicated cover defender to watch him.
fdp was realy good. i usually dont like his game, but he did really well.
congrats bokke..now lets get a move on to that quarter!
15 Sep 2007, 07:52 am
#422 Jy bedoel seker, ‘heel gepoep’…?
15 Sep 2007, 07:52 am
flipping funny is the only way to describe comming on here and reading all the rugby “experts” doom and gloom yet again lol. it just does not matter what the Boks do, they are doomed to keep winning and still be pathetic at it lmfao.
thank god all the rugby sense in the land sees Jake White and co in France and none of the plonkers on this forum with any input to the Bok side or god help us.
15 Sep 2007, 07:58 am
yap wls, this game is gonna have legendary status and will be remembered for ages. this is the game where we finally laid the ghosts of twickenham 2002 to rest. to loose and score no points, well this is unthinkable isn’t it, yet some complain, there will always be some.
15 Sep 2007, 08:04 am
Yep Princess…I hear his “aviary’ s quite well hidden too.
Right so the vicars outfit for the AB game.
15 Sep 2007, 08:13 am
#434
exactly this was a very very solid performance, no matter which way you look at it.
Boks have laid down a marker, in fact since our opening two games have had the toughest oposition so far for any of the big sides we look the best. i mean what are NZ getting out of today? nothing. Australia should walk the game today aswell.
15 Sep 2007, 08:16 am
not being toio negative here but geez this article is TOTALLY OFF THE TRACK regarding the comment about BJ. Jon Cardinelli, were you watching the game in a french nightclub??
because you totally weren’t watching the same game as 99% of people here.
#434
WTF? legendary status ? this game was mundane and boring but win is a win. Bring on the ABs in the final…unless the frogs sneak up from behind and play the game of their lives in the quarter
final
15 Sep 2007, 08:26 am
437 beating england in a wc 36-0 is legendary. just cos england looked kak does not take credit away from us. this was a game between old old rivals who have dominated us for the last how many years.
15 Sep 2007, 08:26 am
Manly
Poor koos & his “aviary – leave it alone !
Yes the Vicars outfit for the AB game – Let those “Los Lobos” think in addition to everything else the ABs have God on their side
& what is ‘heel gepoep’ ?
15 Sep 2007, 08:26 am
Like I sald boys there are those of us who have stuck behind the Boks through thick and thin and there are those who can’t even enjoy a good win without criticising the boys.
15 Sep 2007, 08:28 am
437. Agree with you on the BJ comment. He watched the game from between his legs. I think he got a good pummeling. Good win though. The boks never seemed to break a sweat.
15 Sep 2007, 08:34 am
#440 there is always room for improvement
its easy to sit back and enjoy it but there was major scrum issue. the front row were scrumming like a trio of WP props.
sigh of relief to win and win well but we can’t over look a major weakness.
15 Sep 2007, 08:35 am
greatest @ 437
i agree with you on the win. we needed to win this game and we’ve done just that. our scrum looked shakey for a while there, and it was only after the england forwards began to tire that we managed to get the upperhand in this department. after reading a lot of the news reports on yesterdays game, i fear that we are taking too much out of this game.
1. we were not as good as the scoreline indicates.
2. there are no easy/ easier way to the final. its a myth. just ask nz.
3. this england side is nothing short of pathetic. i predicted last week (after their game against the usa) that they may even become the 1st defending champs to bow out in the group stages. i think samoa must really fancy their chances.
jeez, this england side have no idea of what to do to enable them to score points.
15 Sep 2007, 08:35 am
#425
Spot on, Dee-dah.
I was at that game in Perth four years ago when Corne’s mob lost to the English in WC03. It was painful stuff and anyone wishing to suggest that Jake has not done an outstanding job delivering an antidote for much of the pain is living in denial – and has ulterior motives, won’t face up to reality.
Despite occupying the most challenging coaching post in international rugby, Jake White has done a very good job. We’ve come an awful long way during his tenure. His plans to build a squad, inculcate a sense of belonging among the group, re-establish pride in the Bok jersey, are just some examples of enormous progress.
Yes, there’s still a job to be done, there are still areas to hone, there are bigger challenges ahead and we’re not guaranteed the ultimate prize.
But it would be nice to see the buffoons heading the “Jake must gooooooooooooooooooooo!” brigade concede that perhaps a sharper brain than theirs has been guiding our fortunes over the past four years.
Go Jake, go John, go Bokke.
Go all the way!!!
15 Sep 2007, 08:36 am
#418 princess, yes maybe a little but CSI is on to it. If Wales beat OZ tonite we could have a Eng/tonga vs Wales, SA vs OZ. If Argie can stay on top of Ireland we then have NZ vs Ireland quarter.Heres the possibility. If Argie becomes what France has been to NZ previously in regards to SA (for the semi) we are looking at a Argie/NZ final if we beat Ireland. Dont say it cant happen as it has once before and you know these latinos, self belief is a dangerous thing and dont know if the structured game of SA could deal with it under those conditions.
I maybe talking it up but it IS a possibility.
15 Sep 2007, 08:36 am
First of all, as I predicted on Thursdays site, BJ completely dominated Sheridan.
Believe me Sheridan would rather scrum against any other tight head but BJ. Once again it is the intepretation of that contest by the ref that leads to penalties sometimes going the wrong way.
Yes we lost 2 tight heads, which were a result of poor concentration and poor refeering. This does not take away from the fact that on the tight head side of the scrum Sheridan was bent badly.
The tight head scrumming in at an angle at times although illegal is an important weapon in destroying the whole of the opposite front row.
Much like the fetcher flanker it is the tight heads job to play at the edge of the law.
Believe me BJ is one of the most important weapons we have if we are to beat the all blacks and Jake, John Smit will be banking on that.
Where they have to manage his playing time carefully is because he scrums close to the edge of the law,and it is important to assess the ref you are dealing with and how he will blow the penalties at scrum time.
Lastly what are we going to do about the terrible camera coverage we are getting. Can someone tell the french to get rid of the aerial overhead camera and save it for soccer.
15 Sep 2007, 08:43 am
Fantail
Already sounding as if u have enjoyed a little red & marinara
Let’s not get a head of ourselves, I agree that anything is possible – this could be an RWC filled with bolters & upsets … hopefully just not our upset
15 Sep 2007, 08:47 am
#443 cheers, the English have the pack but the backline offers nothing on attack and cover defence. As I predicted, little men such as Robinson caused us much headarche but he was a lone ranger.
#446
you must be from Durban? because the overall analysis is that our scrum as a unit was weak.
BJ was penalised for illegal scrummaging at one point.
as for the arial overhead, does take getting use to. Its the slow motion shots that annoy me!..
slow motion replay of player facials is just pure ***.
15 Sep 2007, 08:50 am
Hey princess bar-b-q and coronas tonite and then home after the AB game to catch the Dragons fry the Wallys( wishfull I know). The outcome pool D will really start the ball rolling. Can you see any reason to date as to why the Argies cant top that group? Two good wins and France playing catch up. Only Ireland to beat France by a healthy margin and games on.
15 Sep 2007, 08:53 am
graetest13gerber- careful with the *** remarks I’m recovering from kneeling on broken glass for forgiveness over similar comments.
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