Boks lost battle, not the war
COACH RASSIE: WE CAN FIGHT BACK. EVEN IN THIS GAME WE FOUGHT BACK
Next game against Italy has now become a must-win clash.
The All Blacks had won the game rather than the Springboks losing it, according to national coach Rassie Erasmus, after his side went down in a 2313 defeat to New Zealand in their World Cup opener in Yokohama on Saturday.
It was the Boks’ sixth straight loss to New Zealand with French referee Jerome Garces in charge, but Erasmus diplomatically refrained from having a direct stab at the match official.
“We can come back from this, but if we concede 11 penalties and they concede just two, I think their discipline must be exceptional,” Erasmus said.
“So well done to them. We have to address our discipline.”
Though no team had previously won the World Cup after dropping a pool match, Erasmus said they were up for the challenge.
“We can fight back. Even in this game we fought back,” he said.
“We were 17-3 down and I have seen South African teams take 50 points when they are that amount of points down, but we fought back to 17-13.”
Poor defence and a failure by the Boks to handle New Zealand’s kicking game led to the All Blacks scoring 14 points in five minutes in the first half, which eventually proved to be the difference.
“To get back from 17-3 down to 17-13 at one point, and then to be in their 22 and close to scoring a try, was good, before two great turnovers by New Zealand,” Erasmus said.
“So I think there were stages where we fought back really well.”
Erasmus said their game against Italy on October 8 had now become their next crucial fixture.
“I have to mention Italy before we start talking about quarterfinals because that is now a vital game for us.
“We have had a couple of slippery games against them lately and it would have been good to win this game to get some momentum going into the quarterfinals, but it is what it is.”
With prop Trevor Nyakane having picked up a calf injury, giving the Bok squad’s campaign another early knock, Erasmus maintained his belief they could lift the title.
“We have to fight back and try to get to the final for the first time not being unbeaten,” he said.
Sapporo
Manu Tuilagi scored two tries as England launched their bid for a second Rugby World Cup title with a comfortable but error-strewn 35-3 bonus-point win over Tonga yesterday.
And second-half scores from hooker Jamie George and replacement Luke Cowan-Dickie saw England secure a bonus point for scoring four tries, a result that could be crucial in a tight Pool C.
In addition England, playing within themselves, also appeared to avoid any injuries to key players.
“I was particularly pleased at the end of the game when we were under the pump a bit, we defended really well,” said England coach Eddie Jones.
England took an 11th-minute lead when captain Owen Farrell scored the first of his 15 points with a penalty.
Tonga scrumhalf Sonatane Takulua equalised three minutes later after a thumping hit by flanker Zane Kapeli on England No 8 Billy Vunipola.
England thought they had scored the opening try when flanker Sam Underhill charged over.
But with the grounding of the ball unclear to the television match official, the score was disallowed.
From the resulting five-metre scrum, however, Tuilagi bundled over for a 24th-minute try. Farrell missed the conversion but England still led 8-3.
England lock Maro Itoje then gave away a penalty to the obvious fury of Jones.
But Takalua was off target and his miss was made worse for Tonga, hammered 92-7 by world champions New Zealand in a warm-up match this month, when Tuilagi scored his second try.
Daly released Jonny May and the left wing made a surging run before his well-timed inside pass to Tuilagi allowed the midfielder to charge in in the 31st minute.
Farrell converted and England led 15-3.
And with Tonga defending desperately on their own line, an infringement led to a penalty in front of the posts which Farrell landed to give England a comfortable 15-point advantage at halftime.
Farrell made it 21-3 early in the second half with a 39-metre penalty.
England, after Sam Underhill knocked-on when well-placed, eventually scored their third try when a thunderous rolling maul saw hooker Jamie George power over in the 57th minute.
Their fourth try did arrive three minutes from time when wing Anthony Watson’s surging run and pass released Cowan-Dickie. –