First and foremost, well done to the Springboks, what a performance in that 32-12 walloping of England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final at the International Stadium Yokohama!
November 2 is a day Japanese sport will never forget.
The big match temperament (BMT) was amazing. There was never a sign of panic at any stage of the match from the boys.
Well done to Rassie Erasmus, whatever shortfalls he and the team have, and they certainly do, but they have been overridden by that performance, and, once again, were crowned world champions.
I’ve had my exceptions with Erasmus, but he’s proved me wrong all the time, especially throughout the World Cup. That 6-2 bench split, for example, has not only worked wonders but it outsmarted all the opposition coaches.
How Erasmus quickly turned the Boks from jokes to champions, from being ranked seventh to first in the world; mixed with nearly abiding to the quota system and still making it work in such a short space of time; and making the team BELIEVE in the system and in themselves, makes him the new best Bok coach over Jake White in this writer’s book.
What this writer was more impressed about was that he (Erasmus) said, during the build-up, that the Boks would ’empty the tank’ in the final, and goodness me they did, in style. He’s a man who apparently always has a plan.
It’s very rare for any sportsman to make such a bold prediction for a final and it actually comes to fruition – but the Boks did it.
Not to mention that the boys had to deal with serious external distractions, like the Eben Etzebeth saga, the natural pressure that comes with being a Springbok in a World Cup, the pressure to drop your Willie le Rouxs and the Faf de Klerks of this world.
But despite everything, Erasmus backed himself and perhaps more importantly, he backed his players.
The most impressive aspect about the Boks’ World Cup campaign is how they treated the tournament like it ought to be treated: like a marathon and not a sprint. Following their loss to New Zealand in the opening Pool B encounter, the Boks grew from strength to strength: adapting to what’s put in front of them and dealing with their respective opposition accordingly.
With each game, the men in green and gold looked more and more dangerous and they left their peak for the most important game of their careers.
Now to the game:
That defence was my biggest takeaway from the near-perfect if not perfect performance. The scrum of course, was nothing short of brilliant.
I jumped the gun too quickly with awarding the greatest flank in world rugby right now Pieter-Steph du Toit with the best Bok player title; it still belongs to Duane ‘Thor’ Vermeulen, what a performance, what a player, what a man!
This writer is relieved that England didn’t complete what would have been a historical hat-trick of beating the Wallabies, the All Blacks and the Boks en route to the trophy, it would’ve been an eternal embarrassment for Southern Hemisphere rugby – not to mention that the world would never have heard the end of it, with the English backed by the most vocal media industry in the world.
I’m glad Siya Kolisi lifted the trophy for personal, selfish reasons.
I like the tradition of our presidents lifting the William Webb Ellis with the team’s captains, it makes the hoisting that much more special.
The Boks are still not clinical enough, but this is not the time to knock them; they’ve certainly earned their break. Every player picked his hand up, including De Klerk and Le Roux; our centre-combination also came to play – with one of the most under-appreciated players in the team, Lukhanyo Am, creating both tries scored in the game.
I’m proud, I’m happy; I’m going to celebrate the win throughout the whole month of November. I’m satisfied.
The mighty Boks are back!
