The contenders’ keys to victory: South Africa
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on August 4th, 2007
This is the first in a series of articles in which Hamish McBrearty examines the what the contenders must do to claim rugby’s ultimate prize. Springbok coach Jake White’s mission has always been to win the Rugby World Cup and he certainly has the team to do it - if they play to their strengths.
The public in South Africa feel the team they have right now gives them the best chance they have to win the William Webb Ellis Trophy since 1995, in fact some of the 1995 team say that the 2007 Springboks are even better than they were. But if the Springboks are to claim their second World Cup, there are a number of things they need to do.
1. Yellow cards. Too often during the Tri-Nations the Springboks proved to be their own worst enemies, amassing five yellow cards from just four matches. In international rugby, playing a man short for 10 minutes often costs teams the game, and in the pressure cooker environment of a sudden-death World Cup game it could easily be the difference between glory and defeat.
2. Discipline. Aside from their ability to dig themselves a hole with yellow cards, the Springboks have been known to melt down after a bad decision from the referee. Instead of working with the referee, South African players have a tendency to believe that the referee is against them and take their frustrations out on their opponents. Referees are only human and bad decisions will be made at the World Cup, how the Springboks deal with them will be crucial.
3. Butch James. James returned to form this season, guiding his Sharks to the Super 14 final where they fell to the Bulls. His play since then in the series against England and then the Tri-Nations has been stellar. Percy Montgomery will handle the goal kicking duties, leaving James to control the back line and kick for territory, which will be instrumental in South African fortunes in France.
4. Injuries. In a full contact sport like rugby union, injuries can strike at any time but the Springbok squad is more vulnerable than most. White has developed his core group of players into a team that will challenge for the Rugby World Cup, but the under studies to some of his key players are largely unproven at international level. An injury to Montgomery, James, Schaulk Berger or captain John Smit could easily contribute to an early exit.
If the Springboks are able to keep 15 men on the field for 80 minutes, keep their heads during adversity, remain injury free and allow James to control the flow of the game, and appearance in the World Cup final beckons. And once they get into the final, if they stick with what brought them to the dance, a second World Cup victory is a very real possibility.
Tomorrow, we take a look at the Wallabies’ chances of claiming a third World Cup.
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- Time for rugby to think outside the box
- Super 14 Week 1 Review
The The contenders’ keys to victory: South Africa by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
