Final is set to be brutal, says Beast
CHARGED UP: ‘WE’LL HAVE TO PLAY OUT OF OUR SKINS TO WIN’
South Africa’s “Beast”, Tendai Mtawarira, believes the Springboks will have to “play out of our skins” to beat England in the Rugby World Cup final.
England booked their place in Saturday’s showpiece in Yokohama with a stunning 19-7 win over New Zealand last weekend, ending the All Blacks’ eight-year reign as world champions.
By contrast, South Africa ground out a 19-16 semifinal victory over Wales 24 hours later to set up a repeat of the 2007 final that the Springboks won 15-6 in Paris.
“They [England] are playing great rugby and with confidence, so it is going to be a big challenge for us,” said Mtawarira, whose nickname dates back to his schooldays in Harare and is an affectionate tribute to the 114kg prop’s strength.
“They were charged up for the [New Zealand] game, right from the first minute. They got on the front foot and were more physical and they got their reward.”
The Boks have been triumphant in their two previous World Cup finals, memorably beating New Zealand on home soil in 1995 before defeating England in Paris in 2007.
Victory in Yokohama would continue a sequence of being crowned world champions at 12-year intervals but would also mean making history of a different kind as well.
Every team that has so far lifted the Webb Ellis Cup has gone through the tournament unbeaten. South Africa lost their first match 23-13 to arch-rivals New Zealand in Yokohama last month.
But Mtawarira, a veteran of 116 Tests and set to retire from the game after the tournament, knows history will mean little.
“What has happened in the past doesn’t really count. We know we’ll have to play out of our skins to win it,” he said.
The last time they met, England edged out the Springboks 12-11 at Twickenham in November 2018, with home captain Owen Farrell fortunate not to concede a penalty when, with 80 minutes on the clock, he escaped censure for an illegal “no arms” tackle.
“Every time we play each other it’s a physical onslaught and I don’t think it will be any different on Saturday,” said Mtawarira, who said he was “excited” by the prospect of facing England props Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler.
“I have worked hard throughout my career to get here and I want to make it count,” he added. – AFP