Boks brace for brutal Samoa
Samoa’s physical approach could leave few players standing
AHUGE clash awaits the Springboks when they take on Samoa in the Rugby World Cup tomorrow. The players will be bracing themselves for what will undoubtedly be a physical encounter. Take away the pressure of having to win to comfortably advance out of the pool stages of the competition, and you still have the pressure of having to face the massive Pacific islanders who seem bent on breaking the Boks everytime they come up against South Africa.
In 2013, Alesana Tuilagi’s stiff-arm high tackle on Jean de Villiers earned him a red card and a two-match suspension.
That Test match was characterised by Samoan aggression – Adriaan Strauss will be keeping a wary eye out for James So’oialo’s hands. Two years ago, the fullback grabbed a handful of Strauss’s genitals in a bizarre move that shocked world rugby.
The match also saw Francois Louw leaving the field with a gash to his head, which required stitches – the result of scrumhalf Jeremy Su’a stamping on him in a ruck. Census Johnston kicked out at Coenie Oosthuizen after the burly prop made a legitimate tackle. There were also illegal tip-tackles aplenty in that 2013 Test at Loftus Versfeld.
Backtrack to Rugby World Cup 2011 when, during Samoa’s 13-5 loss in a Pool D match, captain Paul Williams was sent off for punching Springbok flanker Heinrich Brüssow. The 2011 encounter was characterised by a number of off-the-ball incidents in the highly-charged affair. Danie Rossouw and Francois Hougaard both left the field for the blood bin.
When the Boks began their 2007 World Cup campaign, their first match was against Samoa. The final score was 59-7 in favour of the Springboks. However, the scoreline flattered the South Africans because physically, the match was no walk in the park.
Trailing 9-0, courtesy of Percy Montgomery’s boot, the Samoans took a sledgehammer approach to the Springboks. It would take at least three players to bring down a charging Henry Tuilagi and, through sheer force, the Samoans eventually crashed over the tryline to make it 9-7.
One British newspaper writer said the Springboks were so worn out by the onslaught of the islanders, that when Bryan Habana crossed the line for the Springboks’ first try of the match, his teammates were too exhausted to celebrate. The Samoans are not an easy team to face. However, in eight encounters, the Springboks have always come out on top. The winning margins, though, have been getting narrower.
The first time the teams met was the largest margin – 52 points. It came courtesy of four tries by Chester Williams scored during a 60-8 rout. That 52-point margin was repeated at the 2007 World Cup, which the Boks went on to win.
The Springboks have scored 60 points against Samoa on three occasions. The last time the sides met was in that bloody affair in 2013, where the Boks, battered and bruised, ran out 56-23 winners.
Coach Heyneke Meyer will know what lies in store for his Springboks.
Some of the players may feel they would gladly exchange the wisdom of their years for youthful exuberance in their bones.
When all is said and done at Villa Park tomorrow, only a few may be left standing.
THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS SEEM BENT ON BREAKING THE BOKS EVERY TIME THEY MEET ON THE FIELD