Reading and hearing some of the guff out there, it seems all the Springboks have to do is rock up at Twickenham on Saturday and flick Wales aside to advance to the last four of the World Cup.
Hubris is a bugger and we must hope that this loose talk isn’t shared by the Boks. Complacency has felled many a team, the Boks included. Just think back to Durban a few months ago, or the shemozzle of Brighton more recently.
The Boks have always been big grunters seldom lacking in the muscular department, but they’ve been known to freeze and get rattled. Mentally, they are a world away from the All Blacks and even Australia.
This is precisely why they need to be switched on tomorrow. Razor sharp.
Wales are decimated and will be swathed in bandages, but they’re a proud bunch who will hit hard and often at the Boks. Neither team is especially creative or dynamic, so it may develop into a furious arm wrestle.
You might fancy the Boks chances in such a contest, but don’t forget what happened when pesky little Argentina fronted in Durban. The Boks were smacked around.
Wales were magnificent against England – in England’s back yard, no less – and for big chunks of last week’s match against Australia, they dominated. And the Wallabies have been the best performing team at this World Cup by some distance.
The Boks have a mean backrow, but it isn’t the quickest, which is a pity. Dan Biggar is Wales’ key man and if you get him, you get Wales. You’d wanna set the hounds on him, fast and early.
France had pretty much the same thing in mind against Ireland last week, getting rid of Johnny Sexton with a Louis Picamoles piledriver that was felt halfway around the world. France never got the result, but Ireland were shaken.
We’re all loving the Boks on the back of three successive wins, but each comes with a caveat.
Little Japan had their number and the B teams of Scotland and the US enjoyed prolonged periods of solid play. It even took a while to subdue Samoa, who were rubbish this time around.
Almost everything favours the Boks, but there are three critical factors that demand we respect Wales:
- Warren Gatland. Cunning as a fox, he will have a damn good plan. Bank on it.
- Wales are desperate, perhaps more so than South Africa.
- Their defensive game is rock-solid.
I’ll be watching this with a jittery hand on my SuperSport remote.
Of course I expect the Boks to win, but it would be no surprise if they didn’t.