Cricket tour allows supporters to be enthusiastic again after semi-final defeat in the Rugby World CupWhichever side loses the Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama on Saturday, the country concerned will be plunged into what you might call shallow mourning. Or at least a portion of it will: largely but not wholly white, male and middle-class.But in a faraway and now, once again, more or less forgotten country, it goes deeper and wider than that. Continue reading...
South Africa’s wing is lethal if given space and Jonny May will have his work cut out in the finalThe great irony of this South Africa team is that while there has been so much talk of how physical they are, how they are direct, belligerent, and even boring, their most dangerous weapon is 5ft 7in and 75kg wet through. Cheslin Kolbe is one the most lethal attacking players in the world at the moment and there is every chance that if the final is close and cagey, as a lot of people think it will be, he could make all the difference. Related: South Africans pin hopes on rugby win to lift gloom of troubled country Continue reading...
Eddie Jones’s team have the ability to break down South Africa’s traditional power game and win a tight contestI think England will beat South Africa in the World Cup final. I feel it not because of hard statistics, nor because emotions are getting the better of me. Here’s my reasoning.In attack, South Africa have moved back to their more traditional power game and it has given them certainty on the field. The Springboks under their excellent coach, Rassie Erasmus, are all on the same page. Related: England’s Rugby World Cup finals: the inside story on 1991, 2003 and 2007 Related: The Breakdown | Defence will be Springboks’ strength against England in World Cup final Continue reading...
Since Rassie Erasmus took over as coach, the Springboks have adopted an uncompromising style of play based on kicking and tackling that has paid dividends during the World CupSouth Africa may not indulge in much Rassie‑dazzle, but they have recovered the winning formula after two years in which they suffered a number of humiliating defeats. It is based on an uncomplicated gameplan in which they look at their best when the opposition have the ball and get knocked back by a gang of bruising forwards.When Rassie Erasmus took over as head coach at the beginning of last year, he pledged to make South Africa look like South Africa again, physical and strong in the set pieces, and he has been...
Rassie Erasmus has turned South African rugby around and the World Cup final is likely to be tight and tense given their powerAs the wheel turns, so the hunters become the hunted. England chased down New Zealand last weekend, herding the holders into an enclosure, but they know South Africa are coming to round them up on Saturday.The Springboks’ head coach, Rassie Erasmus, was happy on Tuesday to more than hint at his line-up for the final and point out that England could expect more of the same remorselessly physical, attritional rugby that had taken them to the final day. He is not one given to subterfuge or mind games: the only doubt he looks to put into opponents is...