Springboks look too good for England
Former Springbok centre Robbie Fleck has loads to talk about in his sport365 column this week – injuries, altered suspensions, SA’s win over Samoa and Friday night’s encounter with the English.
The Springboks could not have asked for a better start against Samoa last Sunday.
We all knew the Samoans would front up physically and get stuck in early on, but South Africa absorbed the initial pressure and moved into second, third, fourth and, finally, fifth gear when it mattered most.
It was a mature approach from the Boks – they knew what they had to do and got on with the job at hand, despite the frenetic approach of the Samoans.
I’ve really enjoyed watching the Boks play of late and I have no doubt in my mind that Eddie Jones has played a significant role in their approach; the lines the backs are running, the way the ball gets recycled and the positive style of play they’re looking to embrace.
It’s great to watch – what a pity that Eddie’s on board for the World Cup only…
Of course, Bryan Habana showed his class more than anyone with his four tries. His confidence is sky high, he knows his job is to score tries and he loves doing so. His mental make-up is resolute, and allied with his blistering pace off the mark makes him one of the stars of the tournament already.
The immediate negative from the Samoa match was Jean de Villiers’s bicep injury, which saw him head home for surgery, with Wayne Julies replacing him in the squad.
It’s a huge blow for the squad, as Jean is something of a talisman to his team-mates. They look to him to provide a spark on attack, but he is a crucial team-man, too, and has been a leading man in Jake White’s squad since 2004.
With his experience goes that valuable on-field maturity, but thankfully he has a ready-made replacement in Frans Steyn – who, at the other end of the scale, brings plenty of youthful exuberance to the mix. Yes, Steyn makes a few mistakes, yes he is inexperienced, but he’s a real threat on attack and I thought he made a significant impact against Samoa when he replaced Jean.
Jean is a classic inside centre in that he gets the ball wide and brings his wings into play. Frans, on the other hand, adds more of a kicking game – like the New Zealand model of a second five-eighth (fly-half) – and he also brings his loose forwards into play more, by allowing them to run off him in the middle of the park.
I have backed Steyn’s selection many times before in this very column and I’m very excited to see him perform against England. I just hope Jean’s injury doesn’t come back to haunt the team later in the tournament when it comes to depth. We’ve lost our No.1 inside centre, we can’t afford to lose the next guy…
Like Jean’s injury, Schalk’s suspension is very unfortunate and he will also be missed against England, but this team really doesn’t seem fazed by setbacks like this. Four or five years ago, the Boks would have fallen apart if they’d lost two key men before such an important clash, but such is the maturity of this squad that it won’t affect them come Friday.
Wikus and Frans – the two replacements – will be raring to go and although England will, as always, be formidable up front, I can’t see them competing out wide with the Springboks. England don’t quite have the same pace or power in their backline – with the exception of Josh Lewsey, perhaps – and losing Jonny Wilkinson is even bigger than us losing De Villiers.
I am actually quite disappointed that Olly Barkley dropped out this week. In my mind he’s the weak link in that England team and he could’ve been exposed defensively. Andy Farrell is still relatively new to union, and very new to playing fly-half at this level, but he has won a lot of big matches in Rugby League and he can tackle.
Still, having said that, South Africa need to lay down another World Cup marker this weekend and a win over England, by at least 10 points, is what they will be aiming towards. The Boks can do it, they have to do it and I think they will do it.
Today’s news about Schalk’s ban being halved will also boost the Boks. It is clear that the International Rugby Board wanted to set a precedent with his initial suspension, but it seems that sanity has prevailed by halving the four-game ban to just two matches.
That American centre Emerick deserved five weeks, maybe Phil Vickery’s two-week ban was also a bit harsh, but there is no doubt that the players will be thinking twice during this World Cup when it comes to taking the law into their own hands. I just hope that there is some kind of consistency in their rulings now that the IRB have supposedly ‘laid down the law’…
Fleckie’s RWC predictions – Take II:
England v South Africa: I am picking South Africa to win this by at least 10 points.
New Zealand v Portugal: This could be the biggest win of the World Cup so far; the All Blacks should top the 100-point mark. New Zealand have picked a ‘second-string’ team with the likes of Muliaina, Toeava, Rokocoko and Smith in the backline.
Wales v Australia: SA v England is the game of the weekend, but this match will come a close second. Wales were mediocre to start off with against Canada, but they will test Australia. Having said that, the Wallabies have improved a lot and should by 10-15 points.
Ireland v Georgia: I was very wrong about Ireland last week and I’m still surprised by that… That said, we should see an improved performance from the Irish. Ireland by at least 20.
Fiji v Canada: Canada are experienced World Cup campaigners and their stronger set phases should see them home by 15 points.
Samoa v Tonga: These two teams will go out there to kill each other! It will be very physical, but Samoa should take it by 15 or so points.
France v Namibia: Another one I picked wrongly last week; France have to win by at least 50 points – or else.
Enjoy the weekend’s rugby,
Robbie Fleck
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