[2015 RWC] Pool B: South Africa vs. Samoa (26/09/2015)

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'd have taken a 10 point win over Samoa so 40 points goes a ways to clam my nerves though I don't feel anyone is relaxed and the scoreline is a tad flattering.

I'll have to watch a full replay as I only managed a few peaks so can't comment on the game. It sounds like a typical encounter of Samoa vs SA though looking at the body count:

Jannie du Plessis (knee)
Damian de Allende (knee)
Jesse Kriel (boot to the face)
Victor Matfield (hamstring)
Fourie du Preez (ribs)
JdV's test career ended (fractured jaw)

On those I feel terrible for calling JdV's injury but TBF it was always a likelihood everything considered (especially De Villiers rushed back without being 100% but also Samoa always in with the 'hits' vs SA and JdV's track record of injury at RWCs and style of play). That said this is no way for a legend of Rugby not just SA rugby to bow out. Thanks for everything, Jean! Hope to see you win a SR with the Stormers and Eddie Jones next year!

Injuries to De Allende and Kriel though are a HUGE concern as well as that too Fourie du Preez. I see Jan Serfontein has been called up but I'd be very worried if De Allende and Kriel didn't come right soon as Serfontein has struggled to find form coming back from injury and is struggling to get game time at the Bulls where the form center pairing is Burger Odendaal and William Small-Smith. Mapoe is in Japan and I suspect that has somewhat done his chances to get a call up harm, Frans Steyn is a liability on so many levels (discipline issues and a bit of a one man show). The other choices are all CC/SR rookies nevermind a RWC (Mnisi, Odendaal, Small-Smith, Esterhuizen, Venter, Vorster). Serfontein it is. We have to pray DDA and Kriel are good. Otherwise we're likely to see JPP in the centers again.

Fourie du Preez is simply put the compass to our game. Without him I don't rate our chances. I picked him as our most crucial player and Eddie Jones has said the same. I'd be less concerned if we had quality back-up at 9 but we left our 3 best scrummies at home and went with Ruan Pienaar who's continued selection boggles my mind and Rudy Paige who quite simply shouldn't be there.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Well.

I hope you guys are happy for wishing a top player into retirement!!!

Jan Serfontein has been called up in place of the now retired Captain, JDV!

Anyways, back to the game.

What a turn-around by our boys. We went back to basics and it paid off handsomely.

I have a question. In 1995 and 2007 we had a player score a hat-trick or more tries against Samoa, and we went on to win the World Cup... Is this a sign after JPP scored a hat-trick too??

Glad to see Fourie Du Preez playing nearly 80 minutes and looking like his old self. Duane Vermeulen was very quiet in the first half, but then got to become the bruiser of old in the second half.

We did what we had to do. Not concede tries, and win. And we did it convincingly. I'm a happy chappy (well apart from the wishes on JDV).

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

TBF though, Heineken, De Villiers has been very injury prone of late and wasn't fit at all coming back in which just makes another injury all the more likely; it was always a gamble and a poor one at that. If anything those that called for him not to be included on the basis that he isn't even at 80% have been shown to be right and look what we had to pay for Meyer's gamble: 1st losses in history to Argentina and Japan as well as Kriel having been moved about between the bench and 14 and having lost his confidence and the DDA/Kriel combinatoin missing chances to more than double their caps together and build on what was our best thing in the lead up to the tournament and now having to rebuild rather than continue with momentum.

While I'm sad for De Villiers as a person it should never have come to this in the first place if we are being honest.

 

[Sotavalta]

I am very happy with this win. I said earlier in the thread that SA has to win this match with 20 points for me to actually have confidence in this team again and now they doubled that score... I will be lying if I said I am 100% confident in our team, I am still not over the loss we had to Japan and I have feeling there is still something terribly wrong within the Boks team.

After this match I have way more confidence in the team and will be looking forward to our match with Scotland.

Very sad news about Jean de Villiers, but I am seeing this as a blessing in disguise.

 

[TRF_heineken]

TBF though, Heineken, De Villiers has been very injury prone of late and wasn't fit at all coming back in which just makes another injury all the more likely; it was always a gamble and a poor one at that. If anything those that called for him not to be included on the basis that he isn't even at 80% have been shown to be right and look what we had to pay for Meyer's gamble: 1st losses in history to Argentina and Japan as well as Kriel having been moved about between the bench and 14 and having lost his confidence and the DDA/Kriel combinatoin missing chances to more than double their caps together and build on what was our best thing in the lead up to the tournament and now having to rebuild rather than continue with momentum.

While I'm sad for De Villiers as a person it should never have come to this in the first place if we are being honest.

Lol! Did my attempt not make you feel bad just a little bit?

Anyways, I'm just kidding, I agree with you, and De Allende showed in this match what a springbok centre can do when he's on form. And now that JDV is out of the picture, our backline will be a more potent weapon again.

 

[TRF_heineken]

One thing that I want to address regarding that streaker at the end of the game:















He got to the ruck quicker than Ruan Pienaar...

 

[WaterboySA]

That's true!!!

 

[Icemn]

the boks still looked shell-shocked up until that intercept by JP. That was the turning point in the game as the boks got some confidence and belief back. if Samoa managed to scored a try 1st i believe SA would have lost that game aswel as they were already low on confidence. That intercept try might just have saved their bacon to reach the 1/4s but i believe they will not go any further

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Watched the game finally. It was certainly tighter than the scoreline suggests and if Samoa were more able to counter the maul and get numbers in at the breakdown in the 2nd half it could've easily been an actual game.

That said, credit where its due and if things went our way I'm not gonna complain as those little things went against us all day against Japan.

One last thing I just saw a SA fan ran up onto the pitch. What an absolute chop. Is there grouds to take away his citizenship (assuming he is a SA citizen)?

 

[TRF_heineken]

Watched the game finally. It was certainly tighter than the scoreline suggests and if Samoa were more able to counter the maul and get numbers in at the breakdown in the 2nd half it could've easily been an actual game.

That said, credit where its due and if things went our way I'm not gonna complain as those little things went against us all day against Japan.

One last thing I just saw a SA fan ran up onto the pitch. What an absolute chop. Is there grouds to take away his citizenship (assuming he is a SA citizen)?

Well according to facebook (I know it's an unreliable source, but there was an overwhelming agreement) that moron is an SA expat, that has been living in the UK for more than 20 years now.

 

[Icemn]

One last thing I just saw a SA fan ran up onto the pitch. What an absolute chop. Is there grounds to take away his citizenship (assuming he is a SA citizen)?

that was so funny.. i initially though he was an actual SA player as he wore a green Bok shirt lol

it caught everyone by surprise even the camera man, when ever theres a "intruder" on the field they are not suppose to broadcast it

but that dude appeared out of nowhere i wonder what his intentions were :?

in 2002 that guy wanted to kill the ref for not ending the game, think if it was Wayne Barnes officiating, mccaw would have let him be ... but i don't know what this guy wanted lol

 

[Ospervat]

One thing that I want to address regarding that streaker at the end of the game:

He got to the ruck quicker than Ruan Pienaar...

Yeah but he came in from the side not the last feet so it would have been a penalty.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Yeah but he came in from the side not the last feet so it would have been a penalty.

Lol, I don't care, If an unfit drunken fan can get their faster than Pienaar, it shows that Pienaar shouldn't be there...