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Ellis Park, Johannesburg (05/10/2013, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens
Assistants: John Lacey
Television match official: Graham Hughes
South Africa
TBD
New Zealand
TBD
It saves a lot of conversations between the ref and the AR
Fixed it now. It was very early when I did these threads.
^ I guess that's the general expectation. If we open it up to score 4 tries we are essentially playing into their hands. Only needing to win by 8+ (still a big ask mind you) would have been doable with pinning them down and collecting teh penalties while taking the odd chance. We certainly didn't help ourselves over the weekend.
The Only way I can see us score 4 tries, and not play into their hands will be to kick for the corners and maul it over. To do that 4 times however, is not easy...
What will play into our hands is the Altitude factor. And the long flight from Argentina back to SA. they are expected to land anytime now... and then will have basically 5 days to acclimatize.
I just want us to win. I don't care about the bonus point. I have a sneaky feeling New Zealand are gonna pull a Soccer City and play their best game of the year. Whether or not we can cope is the question.
yeah, I have that suspicion too. just as long as we win, will be vindication enough for me. I can then in my heart say that NZ were not the best team in the tournament.
Eh?
I can understand you concluding that NZ are not definitely the best team in the competition if the Boks were to win, but I don't see how the Boks winning would prove that they were the best.
It's a personal thing. I think NZ'ers have no idea as to how angry/frustrated/etc. us Saffas were with that Auckland spectacle.
Myself, my friends and family and many others are of the opinion that we would've won that match had it been not for the cards. We still feel that way. And we believe that we are better than the All Blacks.
I won't at all be surprized that even if the All Blacks win the RC, that the stadium will either be completely empty by the time the trophies are handed out or that there will be an ear-deafening amount of "Boo" chants when they recieve it.
Whether or not you think you would've won shouldn't influence your views. You didn't win, that's the only fact with regards to that match. It's not like the All Blacks were awarded a try in the last minute off a forward pass, the cards didn't directly lead to the outcome. I'm not suggesting the Springboks wouldn't have won regardless of the cards, but you just can't say with all certainty that they would've won had it not been for the cards (at least, you can't logically suggest this). I'll be charitable here and say it was evenly matched, which leaves this match in South Africa as the deciding point. That being said, a win for the Boks doesn't necessarily mean they're better, because they have the home advantage. Unless the Springboks comprehensively thrash the All Blacks, it'd be ridiculous to assert that the Springboks are the best team in the competition. Indeed, if they do thrash them it's likely they'll win the competition anyway, so you could objectively say they were the best team then regardless
Eh?
I can understand you concluding that NZ are not definitely the best team in the competition if the Boks were to win, but I don't see how the Boks winning would prove that they were the best.
Bismarck's first yellow card resulted in a penalty, from which the All Blacks scored a try from the penalty... so actually, it did have an influence.
We just have to agree to disagree. I'm sure all the NZ'ers will agree with you, and all the Saffas will agree with me...