Boks bounce back in fine fashion
Outscoring the Pacific Islanders by six tries to nil, including a fine hat-trick by wing JP Pietersen, the Boks put down a big marker.
If it started with a rumble, rose to a massive sigh and ended in shouts of joy.
It was the whole of South Africa, relieved and then gleeful, at the Springboks performance in Birmingham – with 39 356 people watching at Villa Park.
One could say they were 'brumming' with happiness.
In 1995 Francois Pienaar spoke of the 43 million supporting the Springboks in the Final of the World Cup.
This time the 60-million sighed with relief and it was only a pool match, but the national depression after Japan had put the Springboks to the tachi the Saturday before,and so this was great relief.
The Springbok has survived.
They are not yet safe on dry land, but they are closer to it and away from the crocodiles.
It was not easy. It never is easy when South Africa plays Samoa, but it was honourable conflict.
There was nothing grudging or cantankerous as the teams flew into each other, and, this time, the Springboks were firm in their tackles and used many opportunities to put pressure on the Samoans.
A sign of this is that the Samoans had more chances to get primary possession – more penalties (15 to 11), more line-outs and more scrums – but the Springboks had 72 percent of territory. and they scored six tries to nil.
In fact only once did the Samoans look like scoring a try and then the TMO's evidence denied them even that – and that was when the score was 29-6.
But they did have chances to score penalty goals. They scored two but missed three, two of them easy. Mind you Handré Pollard missed four conversions. He goaled the hardest one, but missed much easier ones.
The Springboks kicked off and a ruck was formed at which the Samoans were penalised and Pollard goaled easily. 3-0 after 30 seconds. But then Michael Stanley kicked two penalty goals, the first one over off the upright, and Samoa led 6-3 after 11 minutes.
There was a fair bit of kicking in the early part of the game with the Samoans gaining more from their kicking than the Springboks, mainly because of the elusive genius of Tim Nanai-Williams.
Play was inside the Springbok half and the Samoans were going left when Stanley passed a long high pass, which tall JP Pietersen leapt up and intercepted. Off he strode through 60 empty metres to score the first of his hat-trick of tries.
It is interesting that Pietersen is the third Springbok wing to score a hat-trick of tries against Samoa after Chester Williams and Bryan Habana.
The try was scored about 14 metres in from touch but Pollard missed the conversion. 8-6 after 15 minutes. Pollard added two more penalty goals to make the half-time score 17-6, comfortable but not enough to guarantee victory.
For the Springboks it was a promising half. They were far more energetic than they had been against Japan, more focused and much more intent. They were using the maul effectively, making ground each time despite erratic clamberings of the Samoans on defence. Damien de Allende was giving the backs better direction. He, Willie le Roux at fullback and Fourie du Preez at scrumhalf were making a world of difference.
If ever the value of a scrumhalf was evident it was in Du Preez's rapid service, quick decision-making and accurate passing that made a difference. No longer was the scrumhalf shuffling sideways to invite the opposing backs to race up on defence.
Increasingly the half became one-way traffic, but not the scoring, for the Samoans were as brave as they always are. They are not push-over.
When Habana and Eben Etzebeth were close, they stood firm. When Jean de Villiers was over in the left corner, it was not a try because Le Roux had put a toe into touch as he was tackled.
Early in the second half the Springboks attacked down the left with clever interpassing by Etzebeth, De Villiers and Habana. Le Roux chipped towards the Samoan line, got to the ball first a few metres from the line. But Nanai-Williams tackled him from behind and Le Roux lost the ball.
The tackle had been early, but was not checked.
When the Springboks eschewed an easy kick at goal in favour of a five-metre line-out their intent was obvious. They went right, close to the line – Pollard, Du Preez, De Allende and then Du Preez passed wide where snappy passing by Le Roux and De Villiers sent Pietersen in for his second. Pollard converted from touch. 24-6 after 46 minutes.
At this stage substitutions started with Jesse Kriel on for De Allende.
The Springboks attacked right and left till Rey Lee-Lo and Alesana Tuilagi tackled Habana out at the corner. This gave the Samoans a throw-in five metres from their line. They threw deep and lost control of the ball as the Springboks were up quickly and Schalk Burger, as energetic as ever, scored a try which delighted him – 29-6 after 59 minutes.
Just after this, Samoa had golden joy dashed from their lips by the prying eye of the TMO.
Habana knocked the ball on and Nanai-Williams snatched it, ran and chipped. He got first to his kick and passed infield to Kahn Fortuali'i, who gave to Tusi Pisi who went over with a swanky dive. But consultation with the TMO detected that the pass from Williams to Fortuali'i was forward, a beastly blow to the Samoans.
It seems unnatural that man's brilliant effort can be nullified by a machine!
The Samoans did not look like scoring again.
With the arrival of Tusi Pisi and then George Pisi onto the field the Fijians had three Pisis for the youngest Ken Pisi had been in the starting team.
Habana chipped ahead and Le Roux was tackled out at the corner by Paul Perez and Tusi Pisi.
South Africa stayed on the attack and when a penalty gave them a five-metre line-out, they mauled and Schalk Brits fell down for a try which made him obviously happy – 34-6 with nine minutes to play.
That try gave the Springboks a bonus point.
From another penalty-induced line-out, the Springboks went from Francois Louw to Patrick Lambie to JP Pietersen who completed his hat-trick – 39-6 with two minutes left.
There was a tackle going on shortly after this that had a spectator intruder who ended on the ground and then out of the ground.
Time was up and still the Samoans ran at the unyielding Springboks and when Louw won a turnover the ball sent quickly to Habana on the half-way line and the wing raced unimpeded away for his 60th Test try, converted by Lambie.
If you hear of a freakish meteorlogical occurrence at the end of Africa, you will know it is the sighed relief of 60 million people.
Man of the Match: For the Samoans Tim Nanai-Williams was wonderfully exciting and TJ Ioane was brave and endlessly determined but really the stars were amongst the Springboks and we chose the one who may have made the biggest contribution on the night – Fourie du Preez.
Moment of the Match: JP Pietersen's intercept try. But is the word that changes the direction of a sentence. This was a but that changed the direction of a match.
Villain of the Match: Nobody – hard but honourable.
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Tries: Pietersen 3, Burger, Brits, Habana
Cons: Pollard, Lambie
Pens: Pollard 4
For Samoa:
Pens: Stanley 2
Teams
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jean de Villiers (captain), 12 Damian De Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Lodewyk de Jager, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jesse Kriel.
Samoa: 15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 Paul Perez, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Alesana Tuilagi, 10 Mike Stanley, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Ofisa Treviranus (captain), 7 Jack Lam, 6 TJ Ioane, 5 Iosefa Tekori, 4 Teofilo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Motu Matu'u, 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements: 16 Ole Avei, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Vavae Tuilagi, 21 Vavao Afemai, 22 Tusi Pisi, 23 George Pisi.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: JP Doyle (England), Angus Gardner (Australia)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
By Paul Dobson
@rugby365com
