Boks apologise after upset loss
Schalk Burger, veteran winger Bryan Habana and lock Victor Matfield were suddenly on the back foot against rank outsiders seeking only a second ever World Cup win – a massive 24 years after their other one.
‘‘We just got the wrong decisions throughout the game. They were really up for it,’’ Meyer said. ‘‘(We showed them) too much respect, we should have played more rugby. We got caught in a kicking duel . . . they had nothing to lose and took their chances.’’
As Brighton’s compact stadium rocked to the sounds of Japan’s screeching fans, there was stunned silence in the South African dressing room as players sat with towels draped over their heads, chins sunk into hands.
Luckily for South Africa, all is far from lost and Meyer’s team can bounce back against Samoa next Saturday in Birmingham. They have to perform, because a tricky match against Scotland follows that.
‘‘I still believe in these players and I still think we can win the World Cup,’’ Meyer said.
That is some claim on this shoddy performance, but at least the players are not shirking responsibility.
Captain Jean De Villiers cut a forlorn figure as he stood by the goalposts moments after the defeat, taking in the magnitude of it. His mind perhaps already on Samoa.
‘‘We have to take responsibility for this performance because it’s way below par for the standards we set. It wasn’t good enough by a long shot,’’ he said. ‘‘We need to take ownership for this performance because it’s not going to be easy against Samoa.’’