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Springboks - Wallabies, the clash of Green and Gold
When the whole world is watching, achievements are far greater than expected. On Sunday, we will see the match between the only two teams who have managed to win the Webb Ellis Cup twice. Can one of them go all the way and make it number three?
When the Springboks first played the Wallabies, back in 1933 at Newlands, Cape Town, 20,000 people witnessed a 17-3 win for the Bokke. The first try was scored within a minute by legendary Springbok scrum-half Danie Craven, the most influential man in Springbok history. He has a tournament, a museum and stadium named after him. The Craven Week is an annual tournament in the Rainbow Nation for schoolboys and started in 1964. Since then, the tournament has produced so much talent in the rich Springbok history.
The first ever try scored by Australia against the Springboks was two weeks later, at Kingsmead, Durban. Bob Loudon made history by scoring the first ever try against the Spingboks, to lead the Wallabies to a 6-21 victory.
In the same year, the two teams played each other three more times, the Springboks winning 12-3 at Ellis Park, 11-0 at Crusader Ground in Port Elizabeth and losing 4-15 in Bloemfontein. In 1937 the Springboks travelled "Down Under" for the first time, where they secured victory in both matches. They ended the 1930's with a 6-1 overall achievement against the Wallabies. The longest gap between two matches was between 1971 and 1992, this was because of the boycott during the Apartheid. Since 1992, the two teams have played each other 50 times.
After 78 years since the first encounter between the Springboks and Wallabies, they have played each other a total of 78 times, although the IRB only counts 76 of these as official tests. Since the ending of the boycott, the 50 matches played were divided pretty even:
South Africa winning 21
Australia winning 28
The 1 draw in 2001, which ended in 14-14, is the only draw in the rich history between them
It's nice to know some history, but where does it leave us today? It says absolutely nothing. Matches between these two teams can go either way, especially at the World Cup where both teams make the most out of their abilities. When looking at the line-ups, we can establish the massive advantage of the Springboks in their forward pack, and the major abilities of the Aussie back-line, nothing new.
Who will win this though? I guess it will depend on the weather. South Africa will kick for touch to gain some territory, while the Wallabies will try to run with their backline. Quade Cooper, Kurtley Beale, James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Digby Ioane and Pat McCabe. All of which are capable of breaking the defensive line of the powerful Springboks. Add Will Genia to the mix and it is evident that the Wallabies will focus on running.
How about the Springboks? Will they just kick? No... A lot of people see the Springboks as a boring team, but is it really boring with a backline including Jaque Fourie, Patrick Lambie, JP Pietersen and Jean de Villiers? Of course Bryan Habana has been off form for quite some time, but this might be his day. Maybe this is the match in which he marks his return to the grand stage! And how about Morné Steyn? He is a fly-half with a good boot and pin-point kicking but he has shown he can actually add something on attack as well. With Francois Steyn next to him, he has had the ability to run with the ball in hand! Can he do that with Jean de Villiers as well? The Springboks are without Francois Steyn and Bakkies Botha, while the Australians get Digby Ioane back from injury.
During this Rugby World Cup we have seen the Springboks play some entertaining rugby while the Australians had a minor set-back against the Irish, leaving them second in Pool C. The Springboks have only conceded two tries in four matches while scoring 21 tries. Australia scored 25 tries and conceded four, three of which were against the Russian's in the final group stage match. What does this say about the defensive capabilities? We know for sure we will see a massive battle. David Pocock and Heinrich Brussow are arguably the two best openside flankers in the world, while Quade Cooper has some moments of genius. The danger, however is in Quade Cooper, with his long passes, he should be careful as the Springboks have the best intercept king in the world, Jean de Villiers in their midfield. In a game like this one interception can cost you the match. The Australian backline has the potential to break the Springboks defence with their quick ball which might be too much for the big, but slow guys like Victor Matfield, John Smit, Danie Rossouw and Gurthro Steenkamp.
I guess it's just too difficult to say who will come out on top and go through to the semi's.
My prediction: Australia win by 3 points
