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Next Saturday night in Paris the Springboks will have a chance to get their hands on the William Webb Ellis trophy for the first time since 1995. They earned the right to play for the world title by soundly beating Argentina at Stade de France, in the process bringing joy to South African supporters all around the world.
Let me say right up front that I believe the Boks will overcome England in the final and emerge with their second RWC triumph. That being said, it’s not going to be an easy win to nail down just by showing up. South Africa finished well ahead on the scoreline in Saint Denis but they certainly didn’t play their best rugby against Argentina and England will be emboldened by their overall performance.
The Springboks are a better team than England at almost every position but the men in white have a couple of rare sports commodities going for them right now; team belief and momentum. England will have watched the second semi and rightly thought to themselves, ‘if they play like that again, we can beat them’. So why am I so firmly backing the Boks to win it all? Because I expect them to understand the rarity of the opportunity, rise to the occasion, play fully up to their capabilities, and make history.
Argentina had a very good world cup. They made it to the semis for the first time, they forced the rugby world to take notice of their progress against all odds, and they energized the fans back home into a rugby frenzy so huge that it actually knocked soccer off the front pages for at least a little while. Normally the Bronze Final is less than meaningless but for the Pumas it is vitally important. If they win it will allow them to end their campaign on a high note because finishing third will be their best ever result. For France – win or lose – it can only be a disappointment as they failed in their quest to provide their countrymen with an excuse to throw one of the biggest parties ever!
On a completely different note, if you haven’t yet had a chance to check out this past weekend’s semifinals from the Currie Cup and the Air New Zealand Cup, then I suggest you do so. Three of the four were thrillers – Auckland handily beat Hawke’s Bay – and they are well worth watching. The ANZC Final takes place on Saturday, October 20 at 2:35 am ET and the Currie Cup Final is the following week on Saturday, October 27 at 10:30 am ET.
