[RWC2019][The Final] England vs. South Africa (02/11/2019)

[TRF_heineken]

Won't happen, but I would start our more 'open game' team, and have the heavies come on later to grind it out. My team would be:

1. Kitshoff -- Beast
2. Marx -- Bongi
3. Koch -- Malherbe
4. RG -- Etsebeth
5. Lood
6. Siya -- Flouw
7. PSDT
8. Duane
9. Faf -- Reinach
10. Pollard
11. Mapimpi -- F Steyn
12. DDA
13. Am -- DDA to 13
14. Kolbe
15. Wille -- Willemse

There is no way in hell we'll play Steyn at 11... lol.

But I have a suspicion that Kitshoff, Marx and Snyman might get a start.

I have no idea what we are going to do in the backline. We might even move Pollard to 12...

 

[Jer1cho]

I agree here. I have no idea why people are dissing on Garces.

He was horrendous in our game against the AB's, but notably better in the semi, bar the fact that he blew differently for both teams at the breakdown. The biggest issue is the amount of calls he misses. Brendan Venter calls it a 'anything goes' referee, and I agree with him.

"As expected, Garces was shocking and is part of the current breed of referees we refer to as an 'everything goes referee' and their thinking is that the lower the penalty count, the better the spectacle but they are wrong," "Before the match, I knew the referee would struggle both ways because of his inability to make strong calls. For us as coaches, the issue with referees is not the mistakes they make, it's non-refereeing and what they don't blow. It's when they don't referee the offside line, don't police the breakdown, the tackler rolling, counter-rucking from the side and illegal play in the lineout which is an issue."

There is no way in hell we'll play Steyn at 11... lol.

But I have a suspicion that Kitshoff, Marx and Snyman might get a start.

I have no idea what we are going to do in the backline. We might even move Pollard to 12...

Sorry was a wrong edit. Fixed it.

 

[Hydraulxx]

With Kolbe fit i can see us holding the ball more, with the intention of trying to get him into the action. We will still kick a lot but mostly from in our own half. I hope Willie and Faf have Juked us this RWC and they come out having their best game of the year

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Still don't see what Garces' crime is other than being French.

That's not enough?

At least being French he was always going to be available for the final. But it doesn't really matter, all the teams analyse the top refs to death and know full well what to expect.

I just hope there are no dodgy TMO interventions.

 

[TRF_heineken]

It could have been worse... It could have been Poite!!

But to be honest, Garces, just like the players have improved a lot in this World Cup. He certainly didn't start well with that opener against us and NZ. But has learnt from his mistakes and gradually got sharper.

Sure he misses some of the 50/50 calls, but most referees do.

Would have like Owens to be the referee, but Garces is the obvious choice.

 

[Which Tyler]

I just hope there are no dodgy TMO interventions.

With Skeen as TMO, that's not a realistic hope. My hope is that Garces tells him where to go when he tries to invene over absolutely nothing

 

[TheOvalBall]

 

[TheOvalBall]

With Kolbe fit i can see us holding the ball more, with the intention of trying to get him into the action. We will still kick a lot but mostly from in our own half. I hope Willie and Faf have Juked us this RWC and they come out having their best game of the year

If either Willie or Faf cost the Boks the final, expect their citizenship to be revoked

 

[Hydraulxx]

If either Willie or Faf cost the Boks the final, expect their citizenship to be revoked

i'll sign the petition to never have them play for the Springboks again if that happens

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Maybe I'm missing something but I don't think adding Kolbe changes much in our approach if anything TBH. If anything he is more solid under the high ball and ITO of positioning in defense. Nkosi has a greater top end speed than Kolbe. He didn't get the ball with any sort of space to work with.

I think we'll only spread it if its on out wide (and even then Faf misses a few opportunities usually). We did try against Wales. It's just the execution was horrendous.

 

[Bull]

Talking about refs and especially the way some TMO's intervene I've found the opposite to be the case with touch judges. That's exactly what they are these days, there was clear offside play over the weekend, the one instance where Biggar kicked the ball and all the Welsh players were in front of him and advanced when the ball was kicked. The ref nor the touch judges called it, quite shocking really. I don't see the point of the touch judges really, they're quick to point out foul play and rightly so but other than that they don't seem to be interested in doing anything else.

 

[duncanb]

So curry mk2 on his way to watch brother in final after being released by Sale.
All part of an EJ master plan to switch them at half time .
Great conspiracy theory should be play well enough to win and he gets MOM.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

If either Willie or Faf cost the Boks the final, expect their citizenship to be revoked

If it means we get Faf all year round then I'm more than happy with that - your problem is a game plan/Rassie issue, not a Faf issue. He's being told to play a way that is against his strengths (and he said last week he's been told to kick constantly).

You don't but a Lamborghini and then complain you can't take it offroading

 

[Goodey]

I had a look at the teams from 2007 and man I didn't even remember how bad it looked on paper.

That England team had no right at all to be there or push them close. It's even worse than it looks, Wilkinson's boot dragged us through the tournament having been half dead for most of the previous three years and I don't know if he passed it once in the knockout stages.

I was a teen and had watched rugby before this, but it was the first world cup I can remember being an internet opinion-haver for. No one gave them a chance before the world cup and after the rubbish pool stage a lot of fans wanted them to come home before they got crushed again. To this day I have no idea how they managed to get as far as they did.

 

[Jer1cho]

If it means we get Faf all year round then I'm more than happy with that - your problem is a game plan/Rassie issue, not a Faf issue. He's being told to play a way that is against his strengths (and he said last week he's been told to kick constantly).

You don't but a Lamborghini and then complain you can't take it offroading

As a Lions fan, I have seen Faf at his best, and at his absolute worst, for a number of years. He was pivotal in the Lions resurgence, but he is also a player who can go utterly awol. It's not his kicks that are the problem. It's that only half of them are any good. Not one kick by Davies went straight into the air in that Semi final, where almost all of Faf's in that second half went vertical. Sure he had that great one at the end that rolled into touch, but if he tries that 5 times 4 of them would go out on the full at the moment. That catch he bungled into touch was also inexcusable. All we want from him is better execution.

His defense has been great, but he sometimes needs to calm down, and assess the situation as opposed to just function on auto pilot. This is what made Fourie du Preez the best 9 we have ever had imo.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I'm amazed Ben o'queef still gets to participate at any level after his shockers this world cup. South Africa could just lob the ball forwards American football style and he would say it was fine.

 

[Johnny Storm]

Two of the most controversial refs (Garces and Poite) will be involved in the final. Very surprising and disappointing when other people were available. Owens can't ref the 3rd place game, so why is he not involved in the final. Anyway, Garces is just as likely to stuff it up for England, so should be no advantage, just a shame that such a petulant and confusing ref is in charge of the biggest game.

The only thing left now to hope for is that Le Roux doesn't make the team.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

After the 36 nil mauling to SA in the pool stage, the senior players like Dallaglio, Catt, Robinson, Wilko really took over leading the team. Ashton had lost it at that point, so yes it was a miracle that team reached the final through sheer bloody mindedness.

I see Garces is the ref for the final and kudos to Kaplan for calling it from the very beginning.

 

[ncurd]

To this day I have no idea how they managed to get as far as they did.

2007 was essentially a cripple fight, nobody was any good.

 

[User1245]

Talking about refs and especially the way some TMO's intervene I've found the opposite to be the case with touch judges. That's exactly what they are these days, there was clear offside play over the weekend, the one instance where Biggar kicked the ball and all the Welsh players were in front of him and advanced when the ball was kicked. The ref nor the touch judges called it, quite shocking really. I don't see the point of the touch judges really, they're quick to point out foul play and rightly so but other than that they don't seem to be interested in doing anything else.

Agree that the touchies were useless last weekend. Wales' lineout throws were just about all skew and not ONE was called.