Honest Erasmus deserves success
Good guys can finish first
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus is living proof that decent behaviour and success are not mutually exclusive. Some Kiwis can’t cop Eddie Jones (although I’d put him alongside 1991 Cup coach Bob Dwyer as a good bloke with a keen sense of humour who, like Dwyer, sometimes can’t resist a little mischief) but I’d defy anyone to dislike how Erasmus conducts himself. “Rugby shouldn’t be something that creates pressure, it should be something that creates hope,” said Erasmus after South Africa’s 32-12 win over England in the World Cup final. That would have hinted at public relations spin from some others, but Erasmus has been so open and honest when South Africa have struggled, his words in victory feel straight from the heart.
Spoilt, entitled brat
Maro Itoje refusing to have a silver medal placed around his neck after the final was a petulant reminder that being a good player doesn’t mean you’ll always behave with class.
No, Stephen, this was good
I first met Stephen Jones in 1987, and away from a keyboard, he’s likeable. But columnist was churlish to dismiss the World Cup final as a “poor, often wretched” game. No, it wasn’t. The South Africa-Wales semifinal was wretched. The 2007 no-try final was wretched. But the 2019 final initially had red meat for the purists, with the Boks’ ferocious tackling and scrummaging, and then two sparkling tries from the backs for the more casual fan.
Shades of BoJo
England’s performance in the final echoed UK PM Boris Johnson stumbling through Brexit. Like BoJo,
England couldn’t find a Plan B once Plan A, in Steve Hansen’s prefect summation, of passing to a big guy and having him smash the ball up, failed to work. That knighthood for Eddie might have just disappeared.
No more Faf-fing around
When the All Blacks beat South Africa 23-13 in pool play, I was critical of Boks halfback Faf De Klerk, whose game in that clash was poor. So it seems fair to note the tough little guy was inspirational in the final. De Klerk was born in Mbombela (called Nelspruit until 2009) at the gateway to Kruger Park, home of the honey badger, the small but fearless creature which has been filmed fighting and beating cobras and leopards. When De Klerk sprang at English giants like Billy Vunipola and Itoje, and snarling and wrestling, dragged them to the ground, the phrase from those online nature videos “honey badger don’t give a s***” sprang to mind.
Bronze game was gold
Somehow I’d avoided going to the game for third at a World Cup but the All Blacks’ 40-17 win over Wales was worth changing the habit of a lifetime for. As a farewell for so many in the All Blacks squad — coach, captain, players and management — it was fitting the team finished, if not with the bang of a third Cup win in a row, at least not the whimper of a loss in the game for bronze. And it was fitting that Ben Smith proved yet again you don’t need to be big to be dynamic and strong on a rugby field.