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Taupo - Heinrich Brüssow was indeed given the usual fun fine for a forward kicking the ball after the Springboks’ 49-3 victory over Fiji, backline coach Dick Muir said on Sunday.
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"He got fined for kicking, but because it turned out to be a try it was all good," said Muir.
More renowned for his unique ability to secure turnover possession from the breakdown, Brüssow timed a chip kick to perfection to set up a try for inside centre Frans Steyn.
"That will be one of the tries of the World Cup, for sure," a delighted Steyn said after the match.
The Free State fetcher was also over the moon when asked to comment on that moment of brilliance, although it was more evident that the physicality of the match had taken its toll.
"I think I was actually very lucky," said Brüssow.
"Frans had already beaten the guy on the outside and I could throw the pass, but I was afraid that it would be too long in the air so I thought the kick would be the better option."
In a match against a side known for their expansive approach, Brüssow’s influence at the tackle area became even more important for the defending champions as nothing makes him smile more than an isolated player that has just been brought to ground by one of his team-mates.
Brüssow insisted that the final score did not really tell the whole story of what happened on the field.
"I don’t know what it looked like from the side, but on the field it was tough and they came at us all the time with some pretty big forwards and backs."
He added that the match lived up to all expectations.
"There was an emphasis during the week that we had to win the physical battle early in the game and it was really tough.
"Their (Fiji’s) passion is to play hard and to try and dominate you so we knew we had to pitch up physically."
The fact that there were thousands of passionate Fijian fans in the stadium didn’t make matters any easier as the South Pacific Islanders remained passionate despite finding it almost impossible to get through the Springbok defence.
"It seemed like they were never going to give up, at one stage I spoke to some of the guys on the field and they looked as tired as I was, but luckily we stuck to our game and that will is very good for us from a confidence perspective."
