All Blacks ‘lose fear factor’

World Cup

The All Blacks have lost their fear factor in the eyes of the Springboks and that is what makes South Africa an increasing chance to win the Rugby World Cup.

That is the latest theory doing the rounds up north as rugby’s showpiece draws near.

A Sunday Times rugby panel at a London World Cup gathering saw three of the four pundits opting for the Boks to win their third World Cup.

‘‘New Zealand remain favourites but within the rugby community, eyes are being drawn to the twotime World Cup winners. They have the history,’’ Stuart Barnes wrote, noting the Springboks’ successes in 1995 and 2007, but saying their recent history against New Zealand was more relevant right now.

Barnes said that after ‘‘losing their way’’ under previous coach Pieter de Villiers, the Boks had found their mojo with Rassie Erasmus who led them to a 36-34 win in Wellington, suffered a twopoint loss in the rematch in Pretoria and then snared a draw in Wellington this year.

‘‘The past three games and not a point between them. The All Black fear factor has been taken out of the equation. If anything, it is the formerly kaleidoscopic Kiwi backline that has been forced to reshape in the wake of the destructive South African defensive line.’’

Barnes said watertight defences were the key to World Cup wins, something the Boks had proven with their two successes.

They currently had a rush defence ‘‘that is up there with the best’’ and had ‘‘bamboozled Beauden Barrett’’, forcing the All Blacks into a positional switch and moving him to fullback to have Richie Mo’unga as the preferred No 10.

Sunday Times stablemate Lawrence Dallagio, the former England captain and a 2003 World Cup winner, also likes the Boks in what he sees as an open tournament.

He sees the opening pool match between the All Blacks and Springboks as hugely influential and suggests that game ‘‘might blow the tournament wide open’’.

‘‘There has been a slight air of predictability about international rugby, particularly with the strength of New Zealand in the southern hemisphere, but you can’t quite say the same this time around. It is exciting, it is wide open. There is a little unpredictability about it and it could just be the opportunity for someone to write their name in history,’’ Dallaglio told Rugby Pass.

‘‘If you are a guy who likes a flutter and you took South Africa last year at 12/1 you would be pretty happy with that bet now because they look like a team that has got momentum behind them with Rassie Erasmus coaching. They have certainly got the organisational skills and the belief to go and win the tournament.

‘‘Who knows? By playing New Zealand in the first game, they might blow the tournament wide open if they were able to win.’’

‘‘The All Black fear factor has been taken out of the equation. If anything, it is the formerly kaleidoscopic Kiwi backline that has been forced to reshape in the wake of the destructive South African defensive line.’’ Stuart Barnes

Sunday Times rugby panellist