Boks’ new semi-final threat
10 Sep 2007
If the Springboks beat England on Friday they will probably meet Argentina in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
The Boks should play Wales in the quarters, who were absymal in the first half against Canada and should lose to the Wallabies in the key match of Pool B (despite it being in Cardiff).
Argentina are now favourites to beat Ireland and top Pool D, while on current form France should also be too good for Brian O’Driscoll’s men. That would see the Pumas play Scotland or Italy in the quarter-finals. Argentina have a great recent record against both those opponents, having won their last five matches against Scotland and five of their last six against Italy.
The Boks would expect to beat the Pumas in a World Cup play-off. Argentina’s forwards bullied France last week but it’s unlikely they’d do the same against the likes of Bakkies Botha and co. And while Argentina have won five out of their last six matches against France they have never beaten the Boks in 11 attempts. Considering both teams favour a conservative approach, it could come down to a kicking duel between Percy Montgomery and Felipe Contepomi.
Barring a bout of food poisoning, New Zealand will top Pool C and play France in the pick of the quarter-finals. Ironically, the match will take place in Cardiff, so the Tricolores will not have the benefit of home support.
The All Blacks would expect to continue their recent dominance against the Six Nations champions and meet the Wallabies in the semis. Stirling Mortlock’s side will have too much firepower for England’s world chumps.
That would, of course, result in two all-southern hemisphere semi-finals and ensure the Webb Ellis Cup goes south for the fifth time in six competitions.
Likely quarter-finals:
Australia vs England, Marseille
New Zealand vs France, Cardiff
South Africa vs Wales, Marseille
Argentina vs Scotland/Italy, St Denis
Likely semi-finals:
Australia vs New Zealand, St Denis
South Africa vs Argentina, St Denis
Likely final:
New Zealand vs South Africa, St Denis
By Simon Borchardt
127 Comments
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10 Sep 2007, 18:25 pm
Think we getting ahead of oursleves here!!! We need to beat England first!! Typical South Africans, getting ahead of ourselves and looking at a semi final spot before the group stages have completed.
10 Sep 2007, 18:33 pm
Everyone is thinking way too far ahead for my liking…
as much as I am a bok supporter I have learnt that no matter how bad the opponents are the boks can always be worse on the day…
Most of us are reading too much into the first round performances & that is the worst thing that we can do at this stage.. Remember in 2006 the tiny french forward scrumed the big boks pap & won the match in SH & then in the world cup opener argintina scrumed the french stukkend. Also Argentina are more at home in france than our afrikaans speaking bokke who’ll be lekker homesick by then & who knows what string players we’ll be fielding due to injury & so forth…
Basically, all teams in the Quarters & Semis have the ability to cause an upset..that why they’re there.
10 Sep 2007, 19:03 pm
John_Pshyco,
Wise words indeed…
10 Sep 2007, 19:43 pm
the stats make intresting reading
aus 2 w/cups 5 attempts 40% success
sa 1 w/cup 3 attempts 33% success
nz, eng, 1 world cup 5 attempts 20% success
in 4 of the 5 nea zealand where outright favorites, and shared the joint favorite tag with england in 2003, that my friend like the sa cricket team is CHOKING, BUT THEY ONLY CHOKE IN SEMIS AND FINAL BUT CHOIKE THEY DO!!!!
10 Sep 2007, 19:44 pm
What threat? Argentina is a good team, burt definitely not in the Bok class. Instead of the 50 we put over Samoa, we would probably beat the Argies by 30.
10 Sep 2007, 21:19 pm
#53 — in 1982 the Boks lost 12-21 against Hugo Porta’s “South American Jaguars” team in Bloemfontein. It was Argentina with one or two Uruguayans in it, making it an “invitational XV” worthy of official IRB test match status. But, technically, it wasn’t the Argentina Pumas.
10 Sep 2007, 21:23 pm
104
Agree with the sentiment, but ‘choike’?
10 Sep 2007, 22:10 pm
Dont write off those Argies Keo. Can you imagine that they beat the Boks, and meet the AB’s in the final, after a hard game against Australia.
What if the Argies actually win the RWC? Without being involved in any kind of international like the 6N or 3N? Surely this would force the IRB to get their fingers out of their *** and include them.
The fact that they have not been included already is testament to the IRB’s incompetence. But if they win, well, that should leave a couple of red faces in Dublin, shouldn’t it. So the Pumas have a lot to play for, and a re a professional outfit with a good few game breakers. Dont write them off.
10 Sep 2007, 22:27 pm
#55 chch
We are glad that the AB’s play Australia this time – you guys can finally settle the order of the teams. So far its even this year.
We prefer to put the argument beyond doubt in the final.
I just hope the Kiwi supporters don’t then start making all sorts of excuses about “having the tougher path”.
10 Sep 2007, 22:32 pm
Nonsense article
Far 2 early to be predicting thsi k@k
10 Sep 2007, 22:40 pm
Howzit Joeboy. Agree totally. SA media getting carried away again.
What do you think the impact will be on the Boks with JdV out?
10 Sep 2007, 22:45 pm
Howzit Weti
I reckon Steyn is exactly what the Boks need to do some real damage.
After he came on the backline was awesum.
He is a seriously good no 12.
But Pretorius in needed at no 10, the problem is he always seems to do something real stupid at least once a game.
10 Sep 2007, 22:51 pm
jeez man i hope you’re right! I just think that we will miss JdV’s organisation in the backline defense hugely. yeah he slipped up against Samoa but he hasn’t been playing since the Namib game.
Steyn is brilliant but I don’t trust his inexperience in the defensive part against teams like Aus and NZ
10 Sep 2007, 23:10 pm
113# yea what u say is true but to me
Jean is overrated.
Really Steyn is one of the best backs in the world. He would be playing for the ABs if they had him.
10 Sep 2007, 23:24 pm
Keo, we can all live and dream, but this is the first thing that came to my mind after the argies beat the frogs.
the second thing was whether aus would consider throwing their pool match against wales so they face SA, then Argentina to get to final against AB’s rather than play England, then AB’s to try get to a final against SA or Argentina.
of course this is assuming results go the way we all want. but Aus made a big statement earlier about how they’d prefer to play SA in the quarters rather than England.
Well, we’ll be able to test that theory no doubt!! ha ha.
10 Sep 2007, 23:28 pm
ja, with JDV gone it looks like Butch’s spot is cemented in place. We could afford to play AP alongside the defensive organisation of JDV, but putting steyn and AP next to each other from the start would be beggin the opposition top attack to 10/12 channel.
I am not worried about steyn defense in the 12 channel. if we cant beat england, wales and argentina without JDV well then we overrated ourselves, simple as that. By the time the final comes (provided we make it) Steyn will have settled nicely into the 12 shirt and butch will be there to guide him.
the key of course is that fourie and steyn must now stay fit, or we start to look pretty thin.
10 Sep 2007, 23:34 pm
munki you talking as if Steyn has staked his claim on the 12 jersey, well I for one am hoping that they’re brave enough to go with the kids flair and exuberance ahead of WO’s or Julie’s staid old nothingness, but then will they chance their arm and go for glory go for broke or will they retract and go back to safety first options and avoid the opportunity of success?
10 Sep 2007, 23:57 pm
Skop, Jake will play Steyn against England and off that i am certain. If he performs then so be it.
I will be the first one to give the youngster a high 5 should he come out allright.
Let’s hope he does because that could mean we either lose or win the WC
11 Sep 2007, 04:47 am
Any semi final opponet will be tuff to beat….
Because they would have to played well to get there
11 Sep 2007, 04:49 am
What about a SA vs AUS final we have never had that??????
11 Sep 2007, 06:15 am
98 Skim,
You should expect that Fiji will play Aus then (not Wales)
11 Sep 2007, 06:18 am
109 SjamBok,
We want the tougher path
11 Sep 2007, 06:21 am
114 jowboy,
haha .. where?
11 Sep 2007, 06:23 am
115 munkiboi,
Wales are going to make it very difficuilt for Australia to throw the game
11 Sep 2007, 06:27 am
Lets see if Romania can run Italy close tonight.
11 Sep 2007, 07:08 am
124 – thats funny. and my post was not serious. but then i also did not take the comment from the aussie camp about wanting face SA rather than England as serious. they just hate the south africans over in aussie. especially after we hired their discarded coach. cant believe how much that rankled them. so funny.
13 Sep 2007, 13:24 pm
I am English/south African but very happy for ARGENTINA I have to say. they play very attractive rugby and have in Hernandez one of the worlds best (before changing the fly half is easily recongised as the best full back in the world. Also Pichot, Ledesma and Contepomi to name a few I think they will make the semis so lets be READY……they are sooooo underated and its great to see them beat everyone who shuns them..IRB take note, but lets not get too arogant about beating them!!!!!
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