France next on Boks menu in quarters
If things go well for the Boks, Willemse should be in the running for player of the year award
● Four years ago, the Springboks were thrust in the role of party poopers and they may well have to perform the same grim task when they tackle the Rugby World Cup’s host nation in the quarterfinals next Sunday (9pm).
The Springboks will play France at an expectant Stade de France, reprising the role they played in Japan en route to the title four years ago.
Their passage was confirmed after Ireland convincingly beat Scotland in the last Pool B match 36-14 in Paris last night. That meant Ireland finished on top of the pool and will now have to play New Zealand in a quarterfinal on Saturday (9pm).
It may well be a tetchy week for South Africa and France as they build up to the quarterfinals.
South African rugby fans will still feel a profound sense of injustice that the RWC is taking place in France in the first place after it was snatched away from SA Rugby as the preferred bidders in 2017.
Council members, however, voted otherwise. Bok fans will also feel their team’s most recent clash against France in November last year should not have resulted in a narrow win for France.
The match officials in that clash were roundly criticised in the aftermath of the clash. While the bed bugs were biting in Paris, in the south the Springboks took to the salty waters of the Mediterranean before they started preparations for their potential quarterfinal .
Same Same is a private beach 19km east of Marseille where the players and their families frolicked in waters frequented by well-heeled sun seekers. A 15-minute walk away, the town is abuzz with tourists, with American, German and British accents the most prevalent.
Front-ranker Vincent Koch said most of the group had spent their time off with family. “The guys went for lunch and spent time away from rugby. Others went to play golf — just to clear [their heads] a little bit and be in a different environment.”
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick also expressed his appreciation for getting to spend some time with his family.
“A lot of other countries don’t have that opportunity,” said Bok lock Jean Kleyn. “When I was with Ireland in 2019, it was not something we were [able] to do. It’s been absolutely fantastic having our families with us. Any man is only as good as the people standing behind him.
“To have my wife and son with me [has] been an absolute joy — although with an eight-month-old baby you don’t sleep all the time! But it’s still worth it. We’re four months into our block that we’ve been with the Springboks. It’s a very long time.
“I don’t think it would be manageable if we [didn’t] have our families with us. It’s good that all the wives and girlfriends are also included, [and] they get to see each other as well. You form deeper bonds through that.”
If your name is Damian, you are probably in high spirits at this year’s Rugby World Cup.
There have been some standout performances from backline players at the tournament, perhaps none more so than those delivered by France’s Damian Penaud, the All Blacks’ Damian McKenzie and the Springboks’ Damian Willemse.
Penaud has been at the cutting edge of France’s attack, and it is hardly surprising. Going into the last round of pool matches he had made the tournament’s cleanest breaks. His intuition, athleticism and power have made him a player very difficult to contain. Perhaps Penaud’s best gift is he makes the sublime look simple.
Much of McKenzie’s existence in the All Blacks jersey has been as a floater between fullback and flyhalf.
He continues to be a real jack-in-a-box for the All Blacks. He finished their pool stage commitments as the highest points scorer and joint highest try scorer. He delivered a sublime display for the three-time champions in their 71-0 rout of Uruguay on Thursday night. The try he helped set up for Will Jordan was the making of a man with a superior rugby intellect.
For a player of his immense attacking range, one try so far in the tournament may seem a low return for Willemse, who has become a vital cog in the Springbok machine. Willemse has brought versatility and dynamism to the Bok backline and has cemented his place in the No 15 jersey. His performances over the last 18 months have helped earn him that position. His coach at the Stormers, John Dobson, believes Willemse, if things go well for the Springboks, should be in the running for World Rugby’s player of the year award.
Sure, he has retained the ability to sidestep a sumo wrestler in a phone booth but it is his positional sense, the ability to make smart decisions, rise under the high ball, kick and probe into space, that has helped see Willemse crack the nod ahead of veteran Willie le Roux.
Bundee Aki was in devastating form even before he ran into the Boks for Ireland in Paris two weeks ago. He was the tournament’s top try scorer for a while but even with his five-pointers dried up, Aki has got Ireland rumbling forward. He is seeking soft shoulders and breaking tackles at will.
Going into this weekend’s action his 53 runs were by far the most in the tournament. Though Ireland have their old firm centre pairing of Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose at their disposal, it is Aki in concert with Ringrose that has given them an extra gear.
The man who trails Aki on the runs count, Georgia’s Davit Niniashvili, also features high in the number of clean breaks. The 21-yearold fullback and wing has been Georgia’s most influential back, and he seems right at home in France. He, after all, plays his club rugby for Lyon and has looked the part against far more illustrious opponents. Sadly though, the tournament will bid farewell to Niniashvili after this weekend.
Typically, Scotland’s Darcy Graham has been full of dash and dare. When the winger inserts himself into the action he does so with great sense of purpose. He punches well above his weight. While Duane van der Merwe breaks tackles and creates space and opportunity for others, Scotland seem to feed off Graham’s urgency and energy.
The Springboks’ Cobus Reinach also deserves honourable mention. He has seized every opportunity that has come his way. He now boasts an incredible scoring record across two RWCs of seven tries in five matches.