The Springboks are defending champions. Picture: Juan Jose Gasparini/Gallo Images
What a magical Rugby World Cup awaits! I think it’s going to be the most fiercely contested tournament yet, with a number of teams in with a shout of winning the title. I’m sure all South African rugby fans are excited about the next seven weeks of action.
France is a wonderful country with passionate rugby supporters and there is no doubt their team are among the favourites. But our focus is on the Springboks and their opening game against Scotland on Sunday.
As defending champions, and with all that experience in the squad, there’s definitely a fair bit of pressure on the Boks, but I don’t think it will distract them at all.
With such an experienced coaching team and leaders in the squad the team’s drive for more success will override any pressure. There’s a real confidence in that Bok team, a desire to do well, but also to stay humble and focused and not get ahead of themselves, and that’s crucial.
Those three big warm-up wins have raised expectations, but I think the team leadership will tell the players they have won nothing yet, that they’re starting from scratch, that there are new goals to strive for, and that will keep the hunger and desire burning.
Yes, there’s pressure on the Boks, but not more than on Ireland, the All Blacks and France.
Regarding the opening match, both teams will go in full of confidence after some quality performances of late. This may be the best Scotland squad ever and in Gregor Townsend they have a very good coach and Finn Russell is their go-to man, so they’ll look to keep ball in hand and run the Boks ragged.
But I can’t see Scotland keeping up with the Boks over 80 minutes. South Africa’s pack will be dominant; they’ll boss the set-pieces and the mauls, they’ll carry hard and their physicality in the tackle will prove too much. The Bomb Squad will just continue that power game in the second half.
Where Scotland might be reliant on one or two players to get them ticking, every Bok player, and every department of the South Africans’ game, is a threat. And it’s not only up front anymore; they have some of the best finishers out wide. The Boks, simply, are a brutal team.
If there’s one concern it is this: It’s virtually impossible to go seven weeks and seven games without a dip in form somewhere, and we must hope it is not in the first game.
We’ve seen some of the very best teams, at just about every World Cup, go through a lull or experience a game where they are just “off”; it happens, for no particular reason. The energy levels go down, the error rate goes up, decisions go against you and the exact opposite happens with your opponent; everything goes right for them, they fire, the 50/50s go their way, the ball bounces their way.
For me, this is the only thing in the way of the Boks winning their opener.
Here’s hoping Sunday is not that rare off day for the Boks, because they need a good win to set them up for the rest of the tournament!
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