Du Preez damns England
15 Sep 2007
Fourie du Preez showed up the gulf in class between South Africa and England, writes Keo from Paris.
If this had been a boxing match the referee would have ended it in the first round, such was the demolition job the Boks did on the tournament’s defending champions England.
Pre-match predictions of a Bok 20-point win seemed generous as the Boks made an emphatic statement to tournament favourites New Zealand. To win the World Cup a team is going to have to beat the Springboks.
Start well was Bok coach Jake White’s war-cry all week. While England captain Martin Corry was looking to the best of Churchill’s speeches for his team’s inspiration, White was simply telling his players to win the game in the first 10 minutes.
White, pre-match, did not wish his players luck. His view, in a chat earlier in the week, was that if he was wishing them luck it implied they needed it. He told them to go out and play to their ability and they would win. He told the team this was one match in which they did not need luck.
The Boks were ahead by seven points after six minutes, 10 after 10 minutes and they should have been 17 up by 17 minutes when Jaque Fourie lost the ball in the process of scoring. They turned 20 points to the good, with England stationary on zero and lucky to be given that score at kick-off.
The Boks were brilliant in the opening 40 minutes and England were diabolical. Put the two together and you had a mismatch.
This was a match decided in the first five minutes when the Boks controlled all the ball, won every collision and showed variation in attack. These Boks did more in these opening five minutes than the 2003 mob did in the entire World Cup.
Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha were supreme in the lineout, taking five balls in the first five minutes; every player stood as tall as the Eiffel Tower in the collisions and at No 9 Fourie du Preez controlled the flow and pace, not to mention the field position, which was invariably 20 metres from the England tryline.
It was nothing short of sensational as the Boks played like a unit that had been together for four years, while England looked like a ragged mix and match outfit that had been thrown together four days ago.
The English supporters started getting behind their team on exactly one minute 47 seconds. It was the kind of call to arms you normally get at Twickenham when England are trailing and there is less than two minutes to go. It was one of those evenings if you were English.
The Boks sensed this and the maturity of this team is they attacked the situation. There was attitude to this Bok performance, there was variety, so lacking in the 2003 campaign, and there was self belief that England did not deserve to be on the same field, sharing the occasion.
England offered mongrel on the scrum engage, but that’s where their challenged started and ended. The Boks, showing outstanding composure, kept their cool at the scrum interpretation of referee Joel Jutge and channeled their energy on what they could control, which was every other aspect of the game.
Du Preez, as the conductor, was masterful in this Bok symphony, with the big boys disciplined in following his magical wand of when to attack and when to hold their defensive line.
England’s only hope was to dominate in the contact areas, but with the first tackle of the match that hope evaporated and the Boks knew it. Often the Boks punished England on the counter-attack, with the ball won through strong counter-rucking and the advantage secured through Du Preez and Butch James’s appreciation of the match situation.
England, again true to pre-match predictions, lacked the pace of the Bok attack. And they never believed this was a match they could win. The Boks, to a man, had belief, structure and the freedom to trust instinct within this structure.
There is intelligence in the way the Boks play – thank you Eddie Jones – and there is shape – thank you Jake White – and that’s what will make them so difficult to beat at this World Cup. They’ve always had aggression, but now they’ve added control and confidence that they don’t have to always crash a party through the back door.
On a wonderful evening, at the Stade De France, they entered through the front door, on the red carpet and played like royalty.
114 Comments
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15 Sep 2007, 18:11 pm
CSI
Good to see Argies playing good rugby. They’re out in the rugby wilderness and if they are incorporated into tri nations they would benefit big time. Could become a real threat.
15 Sep 2007, 18:34 pm
93,
How about Burger at 8 and Juan/Wikus at 6/7 with Danie on the bench?
15 Sep 2007, 18:54 pm
Bok Power – Great to see, congrats. However am dissapointed that Poms never really turned up bar Robinson and Sherridan. Latter gave us a hard time in the scrums. Bok top performers for me were FDP, Butch, Monty & Wikus. Worried that we looked a bit tired in last 15min. This where AB or Aus could put in the final nail as we know all too well. There is still work to be done in remaining games if we are going to beat the AB’s. I also think Os has been fantastic, he is really showing his class. Up yours to all the doubters.
Thanks to Jake’s vision and tenacity we supporters can really be excited.
GO BOKKE !!!!!
15 Sep 2007, 19:12 pm
Rugby is a funny game it sometimes hinges on one swing of momentum, we had extremely good reflex reactions to the bounce of the ball and the breakdown, our composure and attacking flair out of broken play caught the slow English off guard, they are not used to reacting at the speed by which we attacked their blind alleys last night, the few of them that competed well, Sheridan, Easter, Corry (at times), Lewsey (saved 2 certain tries), and Robinson their unsung hero, were let down by the mediocrity of the rest of their team, they never quite got over the shock of those first 2 break away tries created by FdP, one for Smith and one for JP.
However if they had some structure or attack out of 10 and 12 they might have competed much better, both Catt and Farrel didn’t produce and Noon only saw the ball late in the second half.
So yes FdP turned them inside out and JP, Smith, Steyn, Butch, Monty, Wickus, J.Fourie etc. all came to the party big time.
Now they will have to build on that and look to shore up some more ability out of somewhere at 1,3,and 8 to compete with the AB’s or Aus, French or Argies.
15 Sep 2007, 20:22 pm
Skoppers # 104
Very good post.
I too was concerned by with our front row. It has not been happening for some time now. Os can’t keep up and BJ Botha has been found wanting by tougher opposition throughout this season. CJ Van is hot in the loose but is hardly a potent scrummager. It is a problem that has to be sorted out.
Pakslae Danie…well its hard for him as he isn’t an 8 and I feel for him.
I also feel it’s crazy to take Bakkies off after 60 mins. I know they keep Matfield in case Smit goes off and Victor takes over the captaincy but Bakkies is needed. In closer matches we need his presence and ruthlessness to close games off.
I’m stoked and glowing but tougher times lie ahead. We need to take NO prisoners.
Go Bokke!
15 Sep 2007, 22:03 pm
How **** is Ireland?
16 Sep 2007, 00:25 am
Great win by Boks no doubt. Real structure and some scintilating tries (all sparked by FDP I think). At risk of getting hammmered on this blog, I offer these observations which we need to fix if the RWC gets on a plane to Jburg any time soon
1) Front row -what the f….??? Was it three tight heads lost?
2) Missed scoring opportunities, JF yes but also others -we wont get as many chances against some other teams and we need more clinical, ruthless finishing
3) Some of the back play was sloppy.Dropped passes etc-what about Peterson in that breakout from our 22 when he dropped the ball cold? I reckon he had a clear run home there
4) I think we DID kick too much -would love to see Steyen, JF etc get the ball to the outside backks more – I mean its not as we dont think they can score when we give BH etc the ball
So I await the onslaught from those who feel the team is beyond crticism -but with sobre thought, if we could tighten those things… we win the RWC!
16 Sep 2007, 03:29 am
Yea rugger There were a few imperfections shown by boks, but 36 – 0 should have been higher.
Habana should have got the pass from Fourie, and scored under posts, and the final 3 points should have been a penalty try under the posts, for the slap down pass with 3 man overlap.
Theres your 50 points.
This was an excellent professional display by the boks against a poor Pommy team with no direction. Just remember here, England got no points, nothing, zippo.
FDp was man of the match, Monty could not miss, the rest of team played well.
I think at 20 nothing, the boks knew the game was won easily, so the kicking started.
So excellent win for boks.
As for England, even tough I dislike them, I feel a bit sorry for them.
They now have to deal with Samoa and Tonga, which may be even more embarrasing.
BOKKE
16 Sep 2007, 03:55 am
Someone on here wrote how well they thought Butch James played, he was OK, however, had he actually faced up to some opposition, he would have been found out a bit more.
There were no real chasers on the Bok inside backs, despite the Poms having more posession. And againm the 10 and 12 for England, Catt and Farrell, didnt even get anywhere near the advantage on defence or attack, they were useless, and as a result, their back line never saw anything of quality.
So, hard to say whether Butch played well or not, he wasnt under any pressure, whatsoever.
16 Sep 2007, 05:54 am
What about Danie C at no 8 ? Sometimes I love the old fashioned muscle of his play but then he drops the ball in the open, or seems to be way off the pace othertimes. Is he the guy we need there? What other combinmation could we have? Can Smith play no 8 and then we keep WVH on the side with SB? Maybe not. Skinstadt?
16 Sep 2007, 07:12 am
Yep, that Bok front row is as weak as three wet kittens. That Bok scrum is VERY VERY vulnerable, and boy, the ABs sure as hell know it!
16 Sep 2007, 18:24 pm
Tackler, it’s irrelevant whether they know it or not. The ABs will get the runs again in the final (personally I don’t see them beating Oz) if they get there.
17 Sep 2007, 06:04 am
Gee Tackler thats a bit rough. I had a good chuckle when the little Portuguese outscrummed the AB’s to score a try! The Springboks attitude and focus was great to watch againmst England.As the last ever Springbok rugby team lets hope they win that WC. Sorry Princess but it had to be said!
19 Sep 2007, 02:58 am
heheh I loved that too dominee – a real, down the line, forwards try by the Porra’s!! The AB’s looked gobsmacked about that one. I guess we all now know which channel Schalk is going to be tearing down hell for leather…
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