Pool B gives coach Meyer chance to clean up the mess
AT a glance, Pool B looks simple enough to navigate for the Springboks. After the topsyturvy 2015 Heyneke Meyer’s charges have endured, getting through the pool unscathed is one of the few blessings the Springboks would love to be endowed with.
They have lost only one pool game since 1995 and have never lost to any of their opponents in the World Cup. However, 2015 has been a year of firsts with the Boks losing their first official test match to Argentina. Having lost to Scotland, the Boks know what that embarrassment is and Samoa will not be the easy pickings of 2007. MICHAEL Leitch and Bismarck du Plessis have a rather unflattering history as rugby buddies. A quick rewind to Super Rugby and Leitch was the smart instigator who had Du Plessis sent off for his wild kick after the Japanese captain indulged in some skulduggery.
The World Cup’s high stakes means the two may clash on Saturday at Brighton as the Boks need to field their strongest side. Du Plessis has often done well to keep his head during Bok games but his fuse is laced with tinder.
Meyer will be aware of this and will he risk Du Plessis against what could be the weakest team in Pool B? He will be denying rugby fans a delicious rematch even though resting a fully fit Du Plessis would make perfect rugby sense. THE last time Samoa and South Africa met in 2013 there was an unsavoury incident when Adriaan Strauss’s nether regions were tampered with by James So’oialo at Loftus Versfeld.
Whether training in oxygen masks will help when the sides meet on September 26 at Villa Park in Birmingham remains to be seen, but a Samoa/Springbok game is spicier than a Durban curry.
Ditto Schalk Burger’s 2007 suspension and Paul Williams’ red card four years later and you realise the islanders seem to bring the worst out of the Boks. Fortunately, So’oialo has not made the cut, but like Bane from Dark Knight, whom the Samoans resembled with masks on, they can pull the Boks towards the Dark side. VERN Cotter’s unit is a multinational one with two New Zealanders in Sean Maitland and John Hardie.
There is also the flying Dutchman in Tim Visser, but South Africa will keep their eyes on WP Nel and Josh Strauss.
The former has been rechristened Willem through some linguistic laziness, but should he play there is the small matter of facing up against Jannie du Plessis and Bismarck du Plessis.
Drostdy Technical High School in Worcester has yet to produce a Springbok but in Nel they should be proud.
The big question is how much Afrikaans will be spoken when the sides meet at St James’ Park in Newcastle on October 3.
After all, Strauss is a product of Paul Roos Gimnasium and Stellenbosch University. IF Bryan Habana and Takudzwa Ngwenya repeat their 2007 sprint-off, the US team should be no match for the Boks, even with an SA presence.
JJ Gagiano was a University of Cape Town Varsity Cup superstar who tried his luck with the Eagles four years ago. This time around Niku Kruger comes to the fore.
The Pretoria Boys High School headboy did not even get a look-in at Craven Week back in 2009, but he is Kutztown University’s all-time leading sevens try scorer and the institution holds him in high regard.
Owen Lentz was the SA representative eight years ago, but Kruger is now a big deal in the US.
The Boks will know more about him on October 7.