Springboks roll on amid fantastic French atmosphere
After dismantling Romania at the weekend, the Springboks turn full focus to a massive game against Ireland on Saturday.
It has been a strong showing from the Springboks in France so far, but what is the feeling on the ground about the defending World Cup champions?
North Coast local Matthew Svenningsen, son of Ballito Dolphins chairman Mark, is attending every Bok game at this year’s tournament and gives us his thoughts so far.
“As the tournament unfolds, I’ve now embarked on my second week in France. Last weekend’s destination was the picturesque wine country of Bordeaux, which showcased a remarkable improvement in logistics after week one,” said Svenningsen.
There were widespread complaints about delays in entering stadiums and poorly planned hospitality in the first week of games.
“Getting into Stade de Bordeaux was a breeze, taking no more than five minutes. The same efficiency applied to the food and drink queues, a stark contrast to the chaos I experience in Marseilles last week where it took close to an hour to enter the stadium and refreshments had already vanished before kickoff!” he said.
There has been little else to complain about however, and Svenningsen said the South African contingent has come out in full force along with scores of other supporters.
“Picture this: Leisurely strolling the streets of Bordeaux before the match, savouring a glass of fine grape nectar, and engaging in friendly banter with folks from England, France, South Africa, Australia and beyond.”
“The vibe is electric and the camaraderie among supporters is an absolute delight.”
Next stop, Paris.
Another win for unbeaten Boks
After dismantling Romania at the weekend, the Springboks turn full focus to a massive game against Ireland on Saturday.
Facing off against the Romanians – a minnow in rugby terms – the Boks were clinical and exacting, scoring 76 unanswered points to claim a bonus point victory.
The coaching staff used the game as an opportunity to test new combinations, with only Damian Willemse remaining from the team that started against Scotland.
Scrumhalves Grant Williams and Faf de Klerk featured on the wing and at flyhalf respectively, while flanker Marco van Staden deputised at hooker following the midweek injury to Malcolm Marx.
Van Staden and Deon Fourie are clearly trusted as cover for Bongi Mbonambi in the position, because first choice flyhalf Handrè Pollard was chosen over specialist hooker Joseph Dweba to fill Marx’s berth in the squad.
Aside from the positional musical chairs, the game also provided some records for the Boks, who become the fastest team ever to record a World Cup bonus point by scoring four tries in just over 11 minutes.
Cobus Reinach’s unbeatable World Cup stats continued too; the scrumhalf has made two World Cup starts and scored the two fastest hat-tricks in tournament history at 21 minutes (against Canada in 2019) and 24 minutes last weekend.
Despite some heroics against Romania (Makazole Mapimpi also grabbed a hat-trick), it will likely be back to a similar team that faced Scotland when the Boks take on Ireland in Paris at 9pm on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Fiji delivered on the promise they showed against Wales by beating Australia 22-15 in this World Cup’s biggest upset.
Pool C is now on a knife-edge, and Australia will need to beat Wales to ensure they do not make an ignominious exit at the group stage.
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