Joel Stransky was a part of South Africa’s iconic workforce that received the 1995 Rugby World Cup on house soil, kicking all of his workforce’s factors because the Springboks beat New Zealand 15-12 within the remaining. The previous fly-half appears forward to Saturday’s encounter between the reigning world champions, South Africa, and the world’s quantity one-ranked facet, Eire.
To this point, it’s mission completed for South Africa.
Within the opening win in opposition to Scotland, it was at all times going to be robust. The Springboks have been respectable in sure areas however did not create sufficient. When you’ve gotten that a lot bodily dominance, you might want to be a little bit bit extra artistic.
Beating Romania, there may be not likely an excessive amount of you’ll be able to take out of it. The Springboks have been scientific and did what was required whereas giving most gamers within the squad a run.
I feel the coaches shall be pleased however pondering there may be room for enchancment.
Nonetheless, with regards to the coaches themselves – head coach Jacques Nienaber and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus – it’s working sensationally. These two have been joined on the hip without end, they know one another nicely, they suppose the identical and clearly hit it off. Rassie is the director, so he’s the boss, he nonetheless has a task on the coaching area in sure areas. However they’re doing an awesome job nonetheless they construction issues.
Sexton ‘one of many greats’
There isn’t any doubt the sport in opposition to Eire shall be massively confrontational.
The Irish are masters at conserving the ball. They’re good on the breakdown and recycle actually rapidly, then they use the width of the sector. They’re making an attempt to undergo you, they’re making an attempt to go round you. They actually check your defensive construction.
The primary focus is to cease Eire on the breakdown. You need to cease that inexperienced wave, as a result of these waves are depending on good ruck velocity and fast ball. That’s the reason, whether or not the backs prefer it or not, video games are nonetheless received and misplaced up entrance – there isn’t a scrum-half/fly-half mixture within the historical past of the sport who’ve taken their workforce to victory after being smashed up entrance!
If Eire do get fast ball, it is going to be vital to rise up and take Johnny Sexton’s house away, to manage him. He’s key and so influential to the way in which they play. He’s a common and has all of the attributes. He is likely one of the greats.
I truly thought earlier than the World Cup that it was virtually immaterial who wins Saturday’s recreation as a result of it will be robust whether or not you face New Zealand or France within the quarter-finals. However now I feel France are definitely the more durable choice and any workforce would favor to keep away from them.
There isn’t any doubt the All Blacks are a bit off their recreation whereas taking part in the host nation, in Paris, with all that emotion can be an enormous ask for South Africa or Eire, so this pool recreation has turn out to be vitally vital.
South Africa’s ‘large danger’
South Africa’s choice to switch injured hooker Malcolm Marx with fly-half Handre Pollard issues me. I’m nervous about having just one specialist hooker, Bongi Mbonambi, within the squad.
In case your nice energy is the scrum and you are taking away from that, the implications as you undergo your recreation plan are monumental.
I feel it could be fairly simple to pack down in opposition to the scrum machine in coaching if you’re well-built and robust, like flanker Marco van Staden, who performed hooker at college, however to do it in a Take a look at match is an entire completely different story.
I consider it was at all times a part of the pondering that, if there was an damage, they’d deliver Pollard in. For me, it’s a large danger. I might have introduced in one other highly effective hooker equivalent to Joseph Dweba, particularly as Manie Libbok has been fairly an influential attacking drive at fly-half to this point.
Pollard is flexible, he can cowl at inside centre. However if you’re going with a seven-one bench break up – one thing I by no means thought I might see once more – then why deliver him again if you’re not going to place him on that bench?
It’s comparable with the selection of 4 scrum-halves within the matchday squad in opposition to Romania. Grant Williams might be the quickest participant in the entire squad so he can play on the wing, however I don’t suppose we’ll see that once more in opposition to a workforce with a robust kicking recreation. The competition for the excessive ball is such a large a part of the sport these days and people should not gamers with that pure skillset.
In terms of influence off the bench, I additionally wish to point out South Africa’s so-called “Bomb Squad”.
The seven-one break up, with seven forwards among the many replacements and just one again, means it’s a bench that may add worth in several methods relying on how the match goes, particularly on the breakdown with the three “fetchers”. RG Snyman will play with ball in hand, Kwagga Smith is perhaps taking part in in backs, so it’s not the standard Bomb Squad that we’ve got seen beforehand.
World Cup spirit has been ‘superb’
It has been an awesome World Cup to this point.
The post-match scenes when Fiji beat Australia epitomised it for me. The Fijians cried and celebrated whereas the groups additionally swapped shirts and walked across the area collectively to thank the group.
These crowds have been sensational all over the place, highlighting the spirit of rugby followers and spirit of the sport.
It has been a privilege to be a part of it.
Joel Stranksy was talking to BBC Sport Africa’s Ian Williams