2023-10-13 00:01:11
You shouldn’t have expected anything else from them. “Losing in the quarter or half is not even part of our vocabulary,” warned South African scrum-half Cobus Reinach on Thursday at a press conference. Three days before the clash against the Blues in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the title holders do not intend to give the French the slightest respite.
Beyond this dig from the Montpellier player, this culture of tough matches is reflected in the recent history of the Springboks. They have only fallen twice in the quarters, in 2003 against New Zealand and in 2011 against Australia, boasting a success rate of 71% at that stage. Only the All Blacks (89%) do better. It is not certain that we should give great credit to these statistics, but the success of the Boks in hostile terrain is more certain. “We know what it means to face the host country in the quarter-final, it’s very motivating,” recalled hooker Bongi Mbonambi. And for good reason, on the road to its third crown, South Africa coldly extinguished the Japanese dream in 2019 (26-3).
“We love collisions”
But in their preparation for this final-like quarter, the South Africans also remembered the last defeat against the Blues, less than a year ago in Marseille (26-30). “It was in a very hostile atmosphere, so we have experience of this type of situation,” insisted Mbonambi. Sometimes nicknamed the “battle of Marseille”, this match was marked by total commitment. Several players were out with concussion. “We know the intensity and violence that South Africa can bring into its matches,” William Servat said on this subject on Wednesday.
“This is the first time I’ve heard that!” But of course as South Africans, physicality is part of us,” hooker Mbonambi replied. And the latter added: “We are clearly going to lean on that, it’s a collision sport and we love collisions. » “We expect an ultra-tight match,” continued assistant coach Felix Jones. The important thing is not to get to that point, not to let important opportunities slip away for 70 minutes to find yourself in this situation. You need precision. We were frustrated not to have capitalized on our last opportunity against Ireland. »
Pollard, 7-1: the Boks blur the lines
Three weeks ago at the Stade de France against Trèfle (8-13), the Boks let the victory slip away on a final unproductive ball, as they had been beaten in the final moments by the Blues at the Vélodrome. “We also won several matches in the money time too,” Jones explained. To do this, having a skillful scorer is rather advisable. However, the goal is precisely the failing sector of the South Africans at this World Cup. Between a Mannie Libbok who is playful but crumbly against the poles and a Handré Pollard who is more restrictive but almost infallible on the feet, the debate is not officially settled.
“Handré has already started with us, but Manie has shined since he played in this jersey,” Jones simply evacuated. It is impossible to define in advance the composition of the bench. Will the famous 7-1 (seven forwards, one back) used against Ireland be reused? “Whether it’s 6-2, 5-3 or 7-1, it’s the same thing,” Reinach carefully replied. On X (formerly Twitter), rugby director Rassie Erasmus even published an enigmatic message, suggesting that a daring 4-4 could be chosen. Just a bluff? Response Friday morning, when the composition was made official.
#Losing #quarter #part #vocabulary #Springboks #warn #Blues