Boks Beat Wales Easy As 1234

Rugby World Champions, the South African Springboks, took a while to get warmed up at Cardiff, in chilly Wales, but once they had their rhythm they did the job. There were some nice touches, good support play and deft set pieces from the boys in green and gold.

The Boks were almost not the same team as the world cup squad; absent were the likes and legends of lineout man Victor Matfield, Mr Reliable Os du Rand, Danie Rossouw and the golden boot of Percy Montgomery. Montgomery's absence in particular was noticeable as Ruan Pienaar was not nearly as solid in defence; one of his fumbles led to a lucky try by Welshman Charvis at the close of the first half.

Going into the second half at 22-5, Wales seemed to gain momentum in the slippery and cold conditions.

Just 60-seconds after the Springbok Albert Van Den Berg came on the field (for Bakkies Botha) he was off again, sin-binned. Wales scored soon after. A resurgent Wales then came back to even up the scores; at one point they had closed the gap to 12-29. But Wales was haphazard, lacking direction and weak in defence.

The young South African Shark player, Kankowski, went through a hole in the Wales line easy-as-you please to extend the Boks lead, brining the final score to 34-12. The 77th minute sin-binning of nonplussed substitute prop Bismark du Plessis didn't help the Boks send their point home, but they nevertheless maintained their lead.

At the end of the game Bok captain John Smit, holding his infant son in his arms, and sporting a nasty bloodied eye, dedicated the win to coach Jake White, but conceded that the Boks had not played their best; using the word 'ugly' to describe aspects of it.

Highlights of the game included some brilliant flourishes by the likes of Bryan Habana, Schalk Burger and Francois Steyn.

The next game against the lions is a bit of a misnomer. It seems that increasingly, in both rugby and football, there is a tendency for local leagues to compete and distract from international games. Perhaps more money needs to be thrown into the international leagues.

Cycling Is Tougher and More Dangerous Than Rugby

The stereotype remains to this day of the brawny rugby player who is tough as nails, while the spandex covered spindly cyclist is some sort of wimp. The sports are of course entirely different from each other, but in rugby, when I player is hurt and bleeding, he leaves the field. In cycling, he is expected to get back on his bike and finish the race.

It was Martin Dugard who articulated just how incredibly dangeorus cycling is, and how tough the sport is for the top athletes. He compared the accident rate to NASCAR, a US event popularly believed to be 'dangerous'. I'm fuzzy on the stats, but Dugard mentioned the phenomenally high attrition rate in professional cycling season, and the horrific injuries cyclists commonly suffer from: torn retinaes, punctured lungs, cracked craniums, and the cyclists' staple: the broken collar bone.

Obviously it's fair to say that rugby players are tough; they must be. In the World Cup Match against Fiji those high tackles on Schalk Burger were very dangerous. But I'd like to remind the masses that cyclists aren't to be sniffed at. They also put themselves right on the line when they get onto the road.

Meanwhile, Water Polo must rate as the toughest sport of all. It basically amounts to bliksemming each other whilst drowning.

Habana Neutralised in Fiji Game

Did Bryan Habana play yesterday? You'd swear he didn't. He was completely neutralized by the big lugs from Fiji. And you got the feeling if he got the ball more than he did, he would have limped off the field, trailing bloody rags.

On Keo.co.za it's reported that Habana has, what - been nominated for the prestigious IRB Player of the Year award. Re-he-he-heallly? Any chance we can hold off on these awards until AFTER the world cup? Why? Because it seems to me that at least 3 crucial games still need to be played to establish who are some of the best players.

For others on the shortlist, click here.

I'd like to see Habana make up for the Ngwenya defeat. In my book he hasn't, and I'd like to see him do his thing. Handing out awards at this stage of the game seems - to me - to be premature. And anyway, I think there are two or three other Springboks that are impressing me a lot in the last few games: Schalk Burger, Jaque Fourie and Juan Smith. So let's hold up on these nominations...

RWC: Boks overcome Ferocious Fijians (37-20)

Springbok Powerhouse shrug off nerves to pull off convincing win

With a halftime score looking ominously like the New Zealand score (versus France), at 13-3 , it was starting to look like a third upset was on the cards. Jacque Fourie’s easy-as-you-please try in the second third of the first half was an anomaly. After an hour’s play, scores were level at 20-20, and the Boks were tempted to doubt themselves, as their Southern Hemisphere rivals had done to their detriment on Saturday.

Saturday’s upsets provided the Boks with powerful incentives not to make the same mistakes.

Errors

Yet both sides made handling errors; the Fijians messed up their own lineouts, and took chances in scrummages and tackles, while Springbok Francois Steyn’s performance blew hot and cold. Schalk Burger uncharacteristically missed a crucial tackle that led to a try.

The Boks erred in throwing the ball out wide, opening themselves up to the fleetfooted Fijians (and Sevens World Champs).

The turning point came for South Africa in the second half. But not due to the sin binning of Seru Rabeni for his high tackle on Butch James. In fact, with Rabeni gone the fourteen remaining Fijians still scored twice in quick succession. It could so easily have gone the other way. A desperate tackle soon after these two tries saved the Boks from a disastrous third try, and a morale breaking score (perhaps 25-20).

Spoiler

All this happened close to the 70th minute with South African JP Pietersen spoiling flying Ifereimi Rawaqa’s surge for the corner. Pietersen scooped up the big man as he dived across the line, pinning down his arms and preventing him – just – from grounding the ball.

The Fijians disappointment at this near miss began to infect the Boks with the impulse, the nerve to counterattack, and to do so within a prescribed game plan. And so they fought their way back to ascendancy. The match was characterized by ruthless high tackles, perhaps more from the bulky Fijians, but the Boks were also guilty of playing rough, and spilling blood.

Thanks to solid leadership from the Bok captain, John Smit, the Bok troops gathered themselves up, and shut down the Fijians. They effectively placed a garage door on their own try line at one point, barricading this zone against the bulldozing attempts of the muscular Fijians.

Composure

After some frantic initial countering, the Boks did what the Aussies and Kiwi’s failed to do, they regained their composure, and fell back into a game plan that involved muscling, mauling and rucking their way through the Fijians. It worked again through Free State flank Juan Smith, and again at the death – although Butch James had to clean up the attempt by running it slightly wide and fast from the ruck to score his try. In the end the Boks pulled off 5 tries.

The last of the four quarter finals games is on Sunday between Argentina and Scotland. Argentina are the favorites, but given what has already happened this weekend, there’s almost no point in mentioning that.

SA try scorers: Jaque Fourie, John Smit, JP Pietersen, Juan Smith, Butch James. Conversions: Percy Montgomery (3). Penalties: Francois Steyn, Percy Montgomery (1 each).
Fiji try scorers: Vilimoni Delasau, Sireli Bobo. Conversions: Seremaia Bai (2). Penalties: Seremaia Bai (2).

Burger suspension reduced to two matches

From The Times.co.za
Sapa Published:Sep 13, 2007

The RWC 2007 appeal committee today reduced Springbok flanker Schalk Burger’s four match suspension to two matches.

This was announced following an appeal hearing by the RWC appeal committee comprising chairman justice Wyn Williams, Bruce Squire QC and judge Guillermo Tragant, into the incident where Burger tackled a Samoan player in the air during the Boks’ opening match on Sunday.

The committee determined that the judicial officer had made an error in his first instance decision, in that he was wrong to find that the player was not at any time during the incident intending to win the ball.

"On the basis of the video evidence and the transcript of the initial hearing the appeal committee decided the player was attempting to win the ball for a significant part of the time involved.

"However, the committee found that the player ultimately realised that he was not going to catch the ball and instinctively adjusted his approach to tackle the opposing player.

"The committee concluded that the tackle was a dangerous tackle but noted that that the arm of Burger was withdrawn following contact with the opposing player.

"The committee decided the offence should be categorised as a lower level entry offence rather than a mid range offence and the suspension was reduced to two matches," the statement says.

Burger will therefore miss tomorrow evenings match against England as well as next Saturday’s match against Tonga.

Tycoon flies in barrister to defend Schalk Burger

From The Times.co.za:
Craig Ray Published:Sep 13, 2007

A top London QC was flown to Paris yesterday — on South African tycoon Johann Rupert’s private jet — to defend Schalk Burger in the Bok star’s appeal against a four-match Rugby World Cup suspension.

John McCochran, a senior British barrister, will argue Burger’s case early today at a special hearing in the French capital.

He was flown across the channel in the luxury jet of Stellenbosch billionaire Rupert, chairman of the Swiss-based but SA-rooted Richemont luxury goods group. Rupert is a close friend of Burger’s father, Schalk senior, and a strong backer of Bok coach Jake White.

Burger was given a four-game suspension at a disciplinary hearing in Paris, which lasted until midnight on Tuesday. He had been cited by match commissioner Douglas Hines for an allegedly dangerous tackle on Samoan scrumhalf Junior Polu during Sunday’s match which the Boks won 59-7.

Burger was penalised by referee Paul Honiss — but Rugby World Cup citing rules allow for him to be punished twice for the same offence.

The four-game ban has angered White, whose initial reaction was to consider withdrawing the Boks from the tournament. White said the punishment smacked of a “smear campaign” against the Boks.

“I was so angry … my initial reaction was to withdraw the team and come home,” White told The Times. “There appears to be a bias against the Springboks because I saw much worse this weekend [in World Cup matches].”

Unless McCochran persuades the appeal board to overturn the ban, Burger will be ruled out of the World Cup until the semifinals, if the Boks progress to that stage.

Burger was the third player at this World Cup to be hit with a ban.

The others were England captain Phil Vickery, who will not contest his two-match ban for tripping US centre Phil Emerick, and Emerick himself, who was banned for five games for a spear tackle on England flyhalf Olly Barkley.

White contrasted Burger’s heavy punishment with Vickery’s light sentence.

“Phil Vickery received only a two-match ban for kicking an opponent — how is it possible that Schalk gets four weeks for contesting the ball? And [Samoan player] Brian Lima wasn’t even cited, even though he nearly took Andre Pretorius’ head off with a tackle in which he didn’t use his arms.

“ The judicial officer [Terry Willis] was an Australian and we might play Australia in the quarterfinals. What does that suggest?

“There is clearly a campaign against the Springboks.”

Burger cited for tackle in Samoa match

Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:39AM BST
By Andy Colquhoun

PARIS (Reuters) - South Africa flanker Schalk Burger was cited on Tuesday for a high tackle on Samoa scrumhalf Junior Polu in his team's World Cup Pool A 59-7 victory on Sunday.
If Burger is suspended he will miss the Springboks' pivotal group clash with defending champions England at the Stade de France on Friday evening.

South Africa manager Zola Yeye told Reuters the hearing was expected to take place on Tuesday evening with the time and venue yet to be determined.

"We will be defending Schalk as he was simply going for the ball," said Yeye.

New Zealand referee Paul Honiss penalised Burger for the tackle and spoke to him but took no further action. The citing was made by commissioner Douglas Hines.

South Africa name their team for the England match at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.