ONE FINAL PUSH TO RULE THE WORLD
England and Springboks poised for titanic clash in Yokohama
ENGLAND’S players stand today on the brink of a sporting bonanza. One more almighty effort will propel them into rugby folklore and bring riches, fame and acclaim far beyond their comprehension.
Out here in Japan’s capital city, within their protective ‘bubble’, it won’t have hit them — not yet anyway. Victory over South Africa in the World Cup final at Yokohama Stadium and Eddie Jones’ team would reach an exalted realm of glory.
Owen Farrell and his team-mates hope to join this all-time elite. They are ready to seize their moment and take their place among the best of the best.
But it really will take a giant effort. The job is still to be done.
There has been a lurking sense of English euphoria and triumphalism in the last week — as if this match is already won. Such a mindset could prove a significant threat to their ambition.
Once England had completed their epic 19-7 semi-final demolition of the All Blacks last Saturday, Jones and his players were at pains to play down the magnitude of their achievement and insist that their focus would not be affected by the commotion the result would cause.
Time will tell if they have managed to block out the exterior ‘noise’, because there has been a lot of it.
Today’s showpiece occasion is no formality. England may be the clear favourites but they will hope that no one jinxes them by prematurely tying red and white ribbons to the Webb Ellis Cup. This fixture pits the world’s toptwo ranked teams against each other. Jones’ men are top of the pile, with Rassie Erasmus’ Boks right behind them. This is a fitting final and a seismic contest.
It will take a southern eclipse for England to succeed in their quest. In consecutive matches at this tournament, they have swept aside Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Now South Africa stand in their path, bracing themselves for the impact.
The English juggernaut will take some stopping but do not expect a procession. The ticker-tape parade doesn’t start today. This will be a title decider of primal intensity. What is remarkable to consider is where both these teams have come from. It has been a tale of rapid revival on both sides.
When they locked horns in a three-Test series in South Africa in June last year, they were each in a state of flux, at best — perhaps even a state of crisis.
During that trip, England’s losing run extended to six games; five of them Tests. Jones found himself under pressure for the first time since being hired by the RFU. And Erasmus was trying to instigate a Springbok salvage operation after taking charge as an emergency measure, following a steep decline which included a 57-0 mauling at the hands of the All Blacks the previous September. How times have changed. Erasmus brought back South African exiles, appointed a new captain in the inspirational shape of Siya Kolisi, resurrected the lost heritage of forward power and transformed his country’s fortunes. England broadened their repertoire with the addition of attack coach Scott Wisemantel, then enhanced their defensive and breakdown work by bringing in John Mitchell, the former head coach of the All Blacks. Veterans were moved on. The team was refreshed. From a shared launchpad, these two superpower rugby nations have re-emerged.
The Boks lost by a point to England at Twickenham last November but in 2019 their solitary defeat came in their World Cup opener against New Zealand. Since then, they have surged through routine pool-stage wins and used their immense force to batter hosts Japan and Wales into submission in the knockout rounds.
Meanwhile, England have been imperious. Their campaign progress has been emphatic, featuring easy victories over Tonga and the USA before they started knocking out Rugby Championship nations one after the other. Granted, there was a weekend off when the game against France was cancelled due to the arrival of typhoon Hagibis, but their route to the final has been full of jeopardy, so a triumph today needn’t come with an asterisk attached. This is the fourth time England have reached the grandest of rugby occasions.
It is the date and location that Jones has drummed into the minds of his players for the best part of four years — November 2, 2019; Yokohama Stadium. It is their date with destiny. The vision is close to being fulfilled but there is one huge step still to take.
The startling win over the All Blacks provided further proof that this has been a golden time for England but now they will strive to secure a pot of gold at the expense of the Rainbow Nation. This is a chance to reverse a generation of
under-achievement. The 2011 and 2015 tournaments led to English post-mortems, recriminations and regime changes. Now the equation is very different — it will be glory or near-miss agony.
Jones often refers to ‘shadows in the corners’, in describing the spectre of complacency, which he dreads. That really shouldn’t be an issue today. The players are well aware of the threats in green.
Some are very familiar, such as Sale scrum-half Faf de Klerk, exWasps full-back Willie le Roux and Cheslin Kolbe, who has shredded European defences on behalf of Toulouse. There are others on the Bok bench who have excelled in the Premiership; Francois Louw, Vincent Koch and Franco Mostert.
There is a perception that South Africa are solely an arm-wrestle team. That was certainly how they edged past Wales. De Klerk and Handre Pollard are likely to launch another aerial onslaught and centre Damian de Allende epitomises the stereotype about big men running straight, but any team containing Kolbe also has tries and magic in it. De Klerk kicks to order, but if gaps open up, he can wreak havoc too.
With six forwards on the bench, including a complete front-five unit, the underdogs will set their stall out to gain set-piece ascendancy and maintain a predominantly route-one approach.
England are capable of gaining parity in the scrum and an advantage in the lineout, and it will be fascinating to see if the defensive ferocity typified by rookie flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill can subdue the rampaging Duane Vermeulen, Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira and other big carriers.
These days, England have plenty of gainline-busting assets of their own, notably the Vunipola brothers and Manu Tuilagi, aided and abetted by Kyle Sinckler, Curry and Underhill. The latter pair — Jones’ so-called ‘Kamikaze Kids’ — will hope to take control of the breakdown contest, with Maro Itoje adding his poaching prowess to the collective effort, until Louw comes off the bench to alter the South African challenge from a purely physical to a technical one.
All around the field, there appear to be English trump cards. George Ford’s outstanding tactical kicking is another one, as is the attacking cohesion needed to unleash the lethal runners out wide. England’s back three can expect more ammunition than their Springbok counterparts.
It is there for them. The door to a brave new world lies ajar today. But that can wait. The job isn’t done. It will take one last almighty effort — and to the victor the spoils.