SF: Springboks v Argentina (Mon)
8 Oct 2007
New Zealand’s exit has seen bookmakers favouring the Springboks to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Ladbrokes have installed South Africa as favourites to not only advance to the final, but to win it as well. The team are now on offer as evens, France are on offer at 6/4 while England and Argentina are at 8/1.
–Frans Steyn has elicited glowing praise from Springbok technical consultant Eddie Jones. The former Australia coach spoke openly about his admiration of the 20-year-old who has made a good impression since slotting in at centre. “He can be a French player, not so? – Jones said after their quarter-final victory over Fiji. “Frans is only 20 but has unbelievable natural talent. He passes well, runs well and kicks well. It is remarkable to think that he has been playing professional rugby for only two years. The next two (World Cup) matches will be a great test for him. But he has incredible talent and gets a lot of support from his teammates.”
- Steyn played down his star billing saying: “I don’t think I have star status. I’m still learning. My goal is to become a person such as John Smit or Percy Montgomery. There’s still a lot of hard work ahead. I think the players around me take all the pressure off me,” he said. “I have mentors such as Percy around me. When the pressure becomes too much, they talk to me and encourage me. One must only forget about the pressure and play good rugby.”
- JP Pietersen sought to divert the attention from his try saving tackle late in the game and praise the collective effort. “It was a good tackle,” Pietersen told Die Burger. “What made it easier, was that the guy had the ball in his wrong hand. It made it easier for me to attack the ball. I just gave everything and tackled him as hard as I could. I’m glad my [defensive] game has improved but there’s still a lot of work ahead. I try to keep my feet on the ground and to learn something every day.”
-Argentina captain Agustin Pichot admitted fatigue had played a role in them allowing Scotland back into the quarter-final. The Pumas held a 13-point lead midway through the second half but held on for a 19-13 victory. “We were very tired and Scotland played very well. But we stuck with it,” he told ITV1. “Scotland were very good and we didn’t underestimate them. They have a great team and we have a lot of respect for them.”
This thread will be updated throughout the day.
252 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] Show All
9 Oct 2007, 05:55 am
219 Tinus,
This is just getting silly. The AB loss really was brought out the worst in many supporters on both sides.
People should really think before making over generalisations about what other countries think or do. You will find that most people on this planet are individuals. The whole fear and ultimate dislike of people you don’t really know is such a standard psychological flaw of the human condition.
You will actually find many accents in NZ (23% born outside NZ) but you will have to go to Scotland to find people being called LASS. MATE is more commonly used in Australia than NZ too. BRO would be more common in NZ (which is strangely similar to the Philippine CUYA).
There are narrow minded Kiwis but fortunately (like SA) most of these are people who have not travelled. Fortunately for NZ there is a culture around overseas travel and people are considered odd if they do not.
You will actually find many Kiwi’s who are not complaining about the referee to (to cover some other posts) and from chatting on this site for a couple of years I would think that you would find it hard to name them in the majority who do so either.
9 Oct 2007, 06:27 am
chch, Thanks for your insightful analysis of the human psyche. Tinus, what the hell were you thinking, an Aussie/Kiwi referring to someone as ‘lass’? Bliksem, man, dis in Skotland wat hul so snaaks praat.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.