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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – Springbok supporters have surprisingly low expectations of a convincing victory by the defending champions in their World Cup Pool D meeting with relative minnows Fiji in Wellington on Saturday.
Click to BUY your very own Springbok RWC jerseyThat is if the findings of a Sport24 reader poll are anything to go by … only about a third of some 1 800 respondents believe the Boks will romp home comfortably, following their fortuitous victory over Wales to open their RWC 2011 account.
Bear in mind that this is a meeting between the IRB third-ranked South Africa and opponents who are a lowly 15th as things stand, and that in two previous meetings the Boks have won with a bit to spare each time – 42-18 in Pretoria in 1996 and 37-20 in Marseilles during the last World Cup.
We asked the question: “Injuries aplenty in the Springbok World Cup squad: will they manage to … beat Fiji on Saturday?”
And only 34% of those polled thus far have gone for the bullish first option: “Of course, easy victory for the Boks.”
Exactly 50% of respondents opted for the more cautious: “The Boks will win, but only after a major scare.”
There was also a truly glass-half-empty lobby of 16% who chose the final option: “I’m worried … I can see Fiji beating the Boks.”
The Fijians are a point ahead of the Springboks in Pool D, because they earned a bonus point in the up-tempo 49-25 triumph over Namibia to launch their own campaign at the World Cup.
