In the aftermath of the cruel defeat of the XV of France, it is difficult to put aside the controversy surrounding the arbitration of this titanic shock. But it is clear that the reigning world champions, authors of four tries compared to three for the Blues, were able to show themselves to be more realistic, stronger and smarter in money time. Neck to neck, this quarter of enormous intensity ended with a final ball snatched from the French hands by the experienced scrum half Faf De Klerk. Jacques Nienaber, the Boks coach, won (narrowly) the chess game.
Flyhalf Manie Libbok was keen to highlight the decisive role of the staff: “The plan for us, as players, is to go out on the pitch, execute and play what comes our way. – they say ‘if the opportunity presents itself, you must take it’. » Like good soldiers, Nienaber’s men, unfortunately for the supporters of the French team, followed the plan perfectly.
The candles notably set fire to the French rearguard, offering three tries in the first period (by Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe). And third row and captain Siya Kolisi welcomed the contribution of the substitutes at the end of the match. “Congratulations to the replacements (especially de Klerk and Pollard), they made the difference. When we entered, they gave us maximum energy and the guys on the pitch needed it given the public support for France. We did everything to stay positive and play our game. » Siya Kolisi also wanted to highlight the resistance of his team when they moved to 14 men following Etzebeth’s yellow card just before half-time.
A turning point, according to him: “Yes, we knew that the French were going to put us in difficulty, particularly in the rucks. We knew we would have to be strong because it was already hard to stop them at 15, then at 14. I am proud of the character we showed. » Same story with Jacques Nienaber who highlights the experience of the old hands facing the “young” French team, according to Kolisi: “With the yellow card, we had to find solutions, but it is probably thanks to the experience of our team. This kind of thing happens, they have already experienced this, they have already participated in a World Cup and they found solutions during the match.
Untenable, Cheslin Kolbe, (126 meters gained and a try) was also at the heart of a turning point in the match. Coming to counter – at the very limit of legality – a transformation of his former partner in Toulouse Thomas Ramos (22nd), he deprived the Blues of two points which will count for dearly in the end. “This gesture probably gave us victory,” greeted Springbok captain Siya Kolisi.
And we come back to the controversies over arbitration. While Antoine Dupont felt that the referee had not been up to the challenge, Kolisi preferred to kick in: “We, the only thing we control is the game. has no control over the decisions the referee makes. I don’t know what to say, we’re going to see the images again but we communicated well with him and his interventions were good. I have never discredited the referee and I never will.” Jacques Nienaber takes the opposite view “I think Ben (O’Keeffe) refereed well. We took four tries and scored almost on every occasion. I think he managed the match well. We too could have had a penalty when the French player came to hinder Faf (de Klerk), when Handré (Pollard) could take the drop. »
Also read: Why the XV of France has once again failed in its global quest
Make way for England. While no one imagines the “Boks” stumbling against the English next Saturday, those involved are unsurprisingly keeping a low profile. “They won all their matches. A World Cup is no longer the same after the group stages. They seized every opportunity. I hope we beat England. It’s 50-50,” predicts third row Pieter-Steph du Toit. “We often played against England. It’s obvious that she struggled before the World Cup, but she has started to turn things around, continues scrum-half Faf de Klerk. This will be a very significant and difficult challenge to overcome, especially with a six-day deadline. We just need to focus on recovery.”
