Springboks revert to type for Scotland clash
With a seven-one bench split in favour of forwards to backs, South Africa’s selection for their final warm-up match against the All Blacks caused considerable controversy.
Despite the record victory over New Zealand that resulted, the Boks revert to a slightly more balanced six-two replacements’ bench for Sunday’s long-awaited opener against Scotland in Marseille.
The world champions chose to name their team on Wednesday, two days early, meaning extra time for Scotland’s head coach, Gregor Townsend, to plan … even if South Africa’s recent form brings to mind that increasingly well-worn quote, attributed to Mike Tyson, about how easily plans can be disrupted.
Scotland named their own match-day 23 on Friday afternoon with Darcy Graham passed fit after his pre-tournament injury scare due to a quad strain. Prop Zander Fagerson is also back after being suspended for the last two summer Tests following his red card in the victory at home to France five weeks ago. The Glasgow front-rower goes into the match having played less than an hour of rugby since the end of last season.
The overall squad is not short on South African influence, with the wing Duhan van der Merwe and the prop Pierre Schoeman having represented their country of birth at youth level. Assistant coach Pieter de Villiers is also South Africa-born, although he played 68 times for France.
“I’ve worked closely with Pieter de Villiers,” said the South Africa head coach, Jacques Nienaber. “I’ve coached Duhan and Pierre at schools level. They know us and we know them, and we’ll have to have a close eye on them.”
Scotland hope Finn Russell’s special gifts can give the fearsome opposing pack the runaround at Stade Vélodrome, but Nienaber says the Boks have developed their own attacking options since Japan four years ago.
“You must have the ability to score points,” Nienaber said. “Whereas in 2019 you could grind it out with a good defence, a good kicking game, a solid set piece. We had to adapt.”
Sexton says Ireland have ditched baggage
Ireland’s pool-stage itinerary could hardly have fallen more favourably: after what they hope will be a settling victory against Romania in Bordeaux on Saturday, they have a seven-day break between their next two matches: Tonga (16 September) and South Africa (23 September). Andy Farrell’s squad will then enjoy an extended two-week break before the potentially decisive meeting with Scotland in Paris on 7 October.
It’s set up nicely for the grand-slam champions, but on Thursday a question concerning Ireland’s previous failure to progress beyond the quarter-finals inevitably arrived and was expertly fielded by the 38-year-old captain Johnny Sexton.
“I know we always get tarnished with [the fact] we haven’t got past the quarter-finals, but we have some amazing memories from World Cups,” said the Leinster fly-half. “We’ve been very successful in our pools over the years, come away with some big victories, so a lot of good memories from World Cups. Obviously a few of them have ended badly but we’re very much looking forward to it and we’re not carrying any of that baggage.”
While Ireland will expect to beat Romania, the intense heat in Bordeaux will be anything but comfortable, with temperatures expected to peak at 37C during the day. The reality of climate change? “It’s something that we did prepare for, it is a bit unusual in September,” Sexton said. “I lived here a few years ago and I can’t remember September being this hot, so it’s a bit strange, but we’ll adapt and it will be the same for both teams.”
Paperwork problems hamper Namibia
Life would have been hard enough for Namibia in Pool A, where they must take on France and New Zealand, without problems with documentation denying them the services of two players for the tournament.
“Our player depth is not as we wanted – two players didn’t receive their documentation, passports and that,” said the head coach, Allister Coetzee, on Thursday before Saturday’s opener against Italy in Saint-Étienne. “One tighthead prop, Herman Agenbag, and Jay-Cee Nel. That is a bit of a blow, especially the tighthead prop.”
Coetzee was part of Jake White’s coaching team when South Africa won the tournament in 2007, before becoming the Boks’ head coach from 2016 to 2018.
As for being back in France 16 years after that Boks triumph, Coetzee said: “I’ve gotten older, for sure. Rugby makes you older as a coach but it’s very nice to be in France again.”
Uruguay plan to binge on Les Bleus
It sounds like Uruguay, who are based in the historic Provençal town of Avignon, have their video analysis plans sorted for the coming week. They will get to watch their first Pool A opponents, the host nation France, kick off against New Zealand on Friday night.
Juan Manuel Alonso said he and his fellow players have nothing specific planned for watching the tournament’s curtain-raiser live on TV, but said: “We are going to see it 300 times over the next week.” The sort of attention to detail that may produce a victory to surpass their famous win over Fiji in 2019? “We are going to go out and try to beat them,” he said of next week’s encounter.
As for their enthusiastic welcome by the locals, Alonso said: “In Avignon everyone is very happy we are here. It’s not a big rugby town, but they are very hooked on to the World Cup.”
Debutants Chile ready to fight
Chile, who open against Japan on Sunday before further Pool D matches against Samoa, England and Argentina, appear to be up against it as tournament debutants. But if rugby is first and foremost about fighting spirit and a sense of togetherness, the stirring words of their full-back Iñaki Ayarza will give their supporters hope.
“First and foremost, we are a group of friends. We have been working together for a long time now,” Ayarza said. “Most of us have known each other since we were very young and many play in the same team. I think that’s our strength: unity. What stands Chilean rugby apart is the sense of brotherhood. You can’t compare the feeling of playing for Chile’s national team with anything else. Every time I come back, that feeling is even better.”
And finally …
Not something to look forward to as such but the South Africa second-row RG Snyman shared some unexpected pre-match music taste in the run-up to the tournament. Asked for the sounds that fire him up before a game, the 6ft 9in Munster lock said: “I always like my Metallica, but more recently I’ve really got in to Mongolian throat singing.”
