Pool D preview: South Africa v Samoa
The battle lines are drawn for this Pool D World Cup match, to be played at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany on Friday.
Both sides have picked powerful sides of strong warriors who will not flinch.
For Samoa, more than for South Africa, there is a lot riding on the game – a place in the quarterfinals for one thing.
South Africa have it much easier. They can lose and qualify; Samoa have to win, and even if they do they need Wales to lose and South Africa get no points.
The Samoan task is a tough one, not that that will daunt the sturdy Islanders who believe in miracles.
There have been suggestions that South Africa will throw the game and so get an easier path through the quarters. Heaven forbid, that such a sin against sport occur. It’s just too horrible to contemplate.
No, one should expect a proper match between a determined team and a desperate team.
Of course, the desperate team could well win. After all they beat Australia this year and nobody thought that the Wallabies had thrown the match. But should they beat South Africa the suspicion of throwing the match will stick forever in rugby lore.
There is history between the two teams – the horrible match at the 1995 World Cup when there was unpleasantness and acrimony and damage to South African bodies. But there was that marvellous moment at the end of the 2003 match in Brisbane when the two teams linked arms, knelt down and said their prayers together. In 2007 Samoa were getting back when there was the controversial penalising of Josef Tekori when the Samoan thought he had scored a try, thus extinguishing the Samoan fighting spirit.
Several of the 2011 team played in that 2007 match – Paul Williams, David Lemi, Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu, Alesana Tuilagi, Daniel Leo, Census Johnston and Mahonri Schwalger. Several Springboks were there as well – JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Frans Steyn, Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw and Bismarck du Plessis, as well as benched players for this match – John Smit, CJ van der Linde and Jean de Villiers.
This will be the fourth meeting at the World Cup of the two countries, many kilometres apart. It is the seventh match between the two. South Africa have won all of the others and would be favourites to win this one as well – favourite with those who predict scores but not favourites with the crowd.
The match is sold out and Samoan support will be overwhelming – cheerful, colourful and passionate. After all Auckland has the biggest Samoan population in the world and many of the Samoan team are New Zealand-born.
The possibilities are a long list but include the possibility that any one of South Africa, Samoa and Wales could top the pool and any one of South Africa, Wales and Samoa could not make the quarters at all.
It is an intriguing match.
Could South Africa win? Of course. Could Samoa win? Yes.
The second question is harder to answer with conviction, for the Springboks are so strong throughout. In all their matches against common opponents South Africa have had better results, beating Fiji and Namibia by much bigger scores than Samoa did. Then South Africa beat Wales and Samoa lost to them, but that is not the whole story. South Africa won by a point, a match they did not deserve to win. Samoa were oh-so close to a try which would have tied the match but were penalised instead.
In their matches, South Africa have a better record of getting possession from scrums and line-outs. South Africa have been less penalised, but that can always change if the pressure is on. Both sides can make tackling painful but South Africa seem to have a better chance of winning the ball back from the tackle. And then Morné and Frans Steyn are probably better goalkickers than Tusi Pisi and Paul Williams.
It is a game of intriguing possibilities. Let’s hope it ends with both sides again on their knees with their arms around each other.
Players to Watch:
For South Africa: In 2007 Bryan Habana scored four tries against Samoa, as Chester Williams did in 1995. Has he got his try-scoring back on track? You would watch the steel of Heinrich Brüssow and the combative strength of Bismarck du Plessis.
For Samoa: Everybody watches massive Alesana Tuilagi of Leicester Tigers, the most unlikely looking wing in the world, but a potent force. Big Paul Williams is a fullback with attacking potential and in the pack there are energetic George Stowers and massive Census Johnston.
Head to Head: Jaque Fourie against strong, experienced Seilala Mapusua, Fourie du Preez against Kahn Fotuali’i, two excellent scrumhalves, Census Johnston against Tendai Mtawarira in the front row. Johnston is a frightening scrummager.
Previous Results:
2007: South Africa won 59-7, Paris (World Cup pool match)
2007: South Africa won 35-8, Johannesburg
2003: South Africa won 60-10, Brisbane (World Cup pool match)
2002: South Africa won 60-18, Pretoria
1995: South Africa won 42-14, Johannesburg (World Cup quarterfinal)
1995: South Africa won 60-8 in Johannesburg
Prediction: South Africa to win by more than 15 points.
The teams
South Africa: 15 Pat Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn , 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 John Smit, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 François Louw, 21 François Hougaard, 22 Jean de Villiers.
Samoa: 15 Paul Williams, 14 David Lemi, 13 Seilala Mapusua, 12 Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu, 11 Alesana Tuilagi, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 George Stowers, 7 Maurie Fa’asavalu, 6 Taiasina Tuifua, 5 Kane Thompson, 4 Daniel Leo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Mahonri Schwalger (captain), 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements: 16 Olé Avei, 17 Anthony Perenise, 18 Logovi’i Mulipola, 19 Ofisa Treviranus, 20 Filipo Lavea Levi, 21 Junior Poluleuligaga, 22 George Pisi.
Date: Friday, September 30
Venue: North Harbour Stadium, Albany
Kick-off: 20.30 (07.30 GMT)
Expected weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 18°C, dropping to 12°C.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Stuart Terheege (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
By Paul Dobson
