Another week, another game, another chance at greatness. Greatness, a word that can be applied appropriately to both the Springboks and the All Blacks. In the week that has followed the Springbok Eden Park disaster a lot has been said but, has a lot been done? The Greatness that both these sides posses would suggest a lot has been done to set up another epic blockbuster clash between the world's two best sides, a clash that has the entire rugby world standing still in awe of another titanic battle for world rugby supremacy.
The All Blacks go into the clash in Wellington as pretty big favourites, but to dismiss any chance of a mighty Springbok comeback would be ignorant. What do John Smit and co need to bring to the table if they are to come out on top at the cake tin? I believe they need to bring a confident, calm and humble attitude. They are good, but they have been proven beatable. Many are calling for a change in tactics from the Boks but perhaps this isn’t the right option. They looked good in patches during last week’s game, particularly when in possession of the ball on the all blacks side of half way. They ran onto the ball well and made the advantage line with apparent ease. The problem area seemed to be between their own 22 and the half way line. Often in this zone of the field the Springbok's lacked direction which culminated in unforced errors. The response from the Springboks was to put up a high ball from Januarie's boot at the base of the ruck which was always too deep and allowed for the lethal All Black back three to run the ball back with often devastating results. Other issues included missed tackles (30 odd in fact), ill discipline (Botha, surprise, surprise), handling errors at crucial moments and all round general lethargic play.
The Springboks announced a mostly unchanged side today with only two forced changes. Botha departs on a nine week suspension and is replaced by Danie Roussow and CJ Van Der Linde takes the place of injured Jannie Du Plessis. Coach Peter De Villiers has showed massive faith in his side to field pretty much the same team. Worries for the Springboks are mainly at 9 and 12 where selection has been highly controversial, otherwise it is a very strong team on paper. I expect them to come out firing and much, much stronger than last week.
Their opposition though will do everything they can to ensure the Springboks names on paper mean nothing come the final whistle on Saturday night. The All Blacks have delayed their team announcement but I expect a very much unchanged side provided injury is not an issue. The All Blacks will rely on an up tempo game plan, not too dissimilar from last week to put the Springboks under severe pressure and allow for the dominance they showed during their last encounter.
My take; My brain says All Blacks, but my heart tells me the streets of Wellington are going to be paved in green and gold on Saturday night. So which do I choose? To make an accurate pick I probably should look at some facts, right? Well luckily for me, I did and here they are; The All Blacks have won 6 matches to 3 in Wellington with only one draw. This is an important stat because it shows the Springbok can win in Wellington but the ground obviously favours the men in black. Another stat that I believe is very important is that the Springboks in 30 odd test matches under Peter De Villiers have never lost consecutive games, that is they have never lost two in a row under the reign of Peter De Villiers.
Stats and facts mean very little on the field though. So for this reason I am going to follow my heart. Yes, I am picking the Springboks to come out on top. People that know me probably wouldn’t be shocked but for me the Springboks won’t play that badly again. They have been once bitten, but never twice bitten and I expect that record to stay intact. On paper the teams line up pretty evenly with the Springboks probably edgeing the men from the country with the long white cloud in the forwards but the All Blacks do have a better back line without the inclusion of Fourie Du Preez and Francois Steyn. Although what’s on paper means nothing, I expect the class and experience that comes with the 700 Springboks caps to come through and pave the streets of Wellington in the green and gold that so many hearts of Springbok fans are yearning to see.
Springboks 32 - 27
3 tries to 2.
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