The players of the French XV will watch and watch again these images of the titanic fight which pitted South Africa against Ireland on Saturday September 23 and from which the clover team emerged victorious with a close score of 13 to 8. From now on, barring any mishaps, the Blues have understood that they will have to face the Springboks in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup, Sunday October 15. Watching last night’s match as many times as necessary should certainly help them understand why and how the mighty South African world champions gave in to the Irish fury.
The first obvious fact is obvious, even if South African coach Jacques Nienaber tries at each post-match press conference to minimize the problem: his team does not have the scorer it deserves. On Saturday, flyhalf Manie Libbok and scrumhalf Faf de Klerk missed a combined four kicks, leaving behind eleven points, enough to move past Ireland. The problem is not new and had already arisen against Scotland on September 10, in the group stage. But that day, Manie Libbok’s lack of skill against the poles did not prevent the Springboks from winning (18-3). On Saturday, however, there was defeat.
Fabien Galthié’s men should not be too quick to rejoice at this handicap because South Africa has a solid joker: fly-half Handré Pollard. The player joined the group a week ago to compensate for the loss, after injury, of hooker Malcolm Marx. Instead of recalling another forward, Jacques Nienaber chose to bring in a formidable scorer. Handré Pollard was the best director at the foot during the 2019 World Cup. It is likely that Manie Libbok will therefore find the substitutes’ bench during the decisive matches even if his plays are often impressive.
A second point should attract the attention of the Blues. The Springboks’ defense, known to be infallible, was pierced by the Irish. The Scots did not succeed, nor did the Romanians, who were crushed 76 to 0 on September 17. Jacques Nienaber has always praised the defensive wall which prevents any incursion beyond the goal lines of his players. It must be believed that exceptions exist. Moreover, the try of Irish winger Mack Hansen in the 35e minute was undoubtedly the turning point of the match. Coach Andy Farrell’s men then understood that a victory against the defending champion was possible.
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