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Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - Extraordinary, mortifying ... South Africa got an untimely dose of some known, own medicine as Australia’s defensive heroism plus no lack of luck saw them emerge winners of a gripping World Cup quarter-final in Wellington on Sunday.
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It is the Boks who have a time-honoured reputation for sheer grit in soaking up pressure yet manufacturing occasional famous wins - the very same city in 1998 comes to mind, when Nick Mallett’s charges somehow kept the ceaseless All Black bombardment at bay for a 13-3 triumph en route to their maiden Tri-Nations title.
Here the boot was so surprisingly on the other foot, as the Boks played pretty much all the rugby against the supposedly free-running, up-tempo Wallabies, bullied them backwards for massive tracts of the game but somehow contrived to lose by two points.
Complain all you like about Bryce Lawrence’s officiating at times - and there was some legitimate cause to curse, it must be said - but the fact remained that all they could show for an estimated 76 percent of territory and 56 percent of possession were two Morné Steyn penalties and his dropped goal.
Fact: South Africa looked every bit like proud, defending champions but only led for 11 minutes of this match and butchered some glorious chances for tries through a fatal lack of composure at key moments.
At least they can return to our shores with collective heads held high - yes, old soldiers and young guns alike - unlike the last southern hemisphere World Cup in 2003 when there was so little to pluck from the debris.
Here’s how high I rated Sunday’s not-quite-heroes ...
Patrick Lambie: 7.5
Sparkling display from the fresh-faced Sharks man, who oozed cool-headedness - so important in a fullback - and was positionally sound. His little swerves and half-steps through traffic on attack were slick, too, and his second-half dropped goal attempt in such a tight affair didn’t miss by much ... a bit of a reflection of the Springbok afternoon as a whole. Part of SA’s new generation, for sure.
JP Pietersen: 6
Not too many opportunities for lengthy bursts presented themselves to the rangy wing, but Pietersen always looked for work and offered good pressure in the air when the Boks hoisted high balls.
Jaque Fourie: 6
The seasoned centre was tightly policed by the Wallabies, which meant running yards were limited for him, but as usual he was at the fulcrum of South Africa’s own backline defensive structure when it needed to be alert. Perhaps some critics would wish for a bit more offensive gusto these days from the Stormers man, nevertheless?
Jean de Villiers: 7
Terrific outing for Fourie’s old midfield partner: he certainly proved that the absence of the hitherto impressive Frans Steyn at No 12 wasn’t the end of the world as he brought his own brand of dynamism to the party. Made some telling breaks and mini-breaks ... but what a shame his intended try-securing off-load to a surging Lambie went forward. (Or did it really?)
Bryan Habana: 5
Yet again in this continuously unsatisfactory year for the once golden-boy left wing, Habana tried to be industrious, indicating the committed professional he is. But we’ve reached a point where his “trying really hard” just isn’t quite good enough, and he was correctly subbed with half an hour to go.
Morné Steyn: 6
A reasonable enough overall showing by the flyhalf who, let’s not forget, was the beneficiary of so much clean, go-forward ball. It was a pity his namesake Frans Steyn wasn’t around, of course, to have a crack at some of the penalties that were probably just beyond his realistic range. The Bulls man made some tackles, too ... but when you boss a game like the Boks did and can’t get over the whitewash, your No 10 is going to come under post-mortem scrutiny, isn’t he?
Fourie du Preez: 7
The veteran No 9 was back very close to his 2007 best, tactically astute and pushing out a lovely pass most of the time. Eish ... what a shame he lost control of that ball just short of the Wallaby try-line after another pressure-enforced charge-down, eh?
Pierre Spies: 5.5
Sorry, but Spies must go now: it is he who must provide game-breaking impact if required off the bench, not be the starter at No 8 where work-rate is a key, key factor. Why is he so routinely the least industrious of the loose forwards? Won some good lineout ball, to be fair, but on one occasion Bob Skinstad (not one to lack this himself) bemoaned his absence of “peripheral vision” as he was bundled into touch off a blind-side scrum burst.
Schalk Burger: 7
A complete contrast to Spies: one who beavers away with utter relish for 80 minutes and always stamps his mark on a game. It was no less the case in this quarter-final. But we will forever lament, I think, his questionable decision to try to make yards from deep in own quarter off a lineout early in the game, from which he was turned over as an avalanche of Wallaby forwards descended ... and James Horwill got the match’s only try.
Heinrich Brüssow: 5.5
The fetching dynamo, SA’s intended counter to the amazing David Pocock, could not make much personal headway for the first quarter of the encounter, and then had to agonisingly leave the park with a rib injury.
Victor Matfield: 7
Cheers, Victor, and thanks for the great memories. The warhorse bade involuntary farewell to Test rugby here – but not before producing a yeoman performance. He was typically imperious at the lineout and made a few “carries” as well, even if he might have been a bit more bloody-minded once or twice in cleanout situations.
Danie Rossouw: 5.5
A ho-hum game, for once at this tournament, by the ageing warrior, although he must be lauded for doing his bit in the broadly dominant effort by the Bok eight. Alas, he was the culprit for the 71st-minute, and reasonably needless, lineout penalty that scuppered Bok dreams.
Jannie du Plessis: 6.5
A couple of sterling right shoulders from the big tighthead, as the Boks ruled the scrummage roost. He also did his bit about the park, although he will perhaps never be the most mobile of No 3s ... and the Boks need to note, in their post-game analysis, the blanket, strength-in-numbers Aussie approach to the breakdowns.
John Smit: 6
Not great, but not poor, either - and I don’t feel, for all my stated preference for a certain other party as the rightful first-choice hooker at this World Cup, that the skipper must absorb any special, perhaps vitriolic blame for the early Bok exit from RWC 2011. He is a prior World Cup-hoister, never forget, and his place in the hall of fame is warranted for that very fact.
Gurthro Steenkamp: 6.5
Generally justified his preference over Beast Mtawarira for the loosehead position in this contest, although the iconic Sharks figure will still have a strong say in future Bok plans. He offered good focus and energy at scrum-time, although he was frustratingly turned over in one barrelling drive off an attacking lineout.
Relevant substitutes:
Francois Louw: 7
It is a tribute to his sometimes grossly under-appreciated quality that when Brussow exited the park, South Africa lost nothing in the open-side flank department for nearly an hour. Louw performed astonishingly well for a man who has played so little rugby in recent months, never mind just weeks.
Bismarck du Plessis: 7
Keep in mind that sometimes it is fairly easily for a substitute to shine after his predecessor has covered some hard yards. Still, the incredible “Bizzie” got in Wallaby faces extremely quickly. He’s mercifully booked as top man for the No 2 shirt henceforth!
Francois Hougaard: 6.5
He got half an hour off the bench and quickly offered more vibrancy, from limited chances, than Habana out wide. There will be justified grumpiness in some circles that he didn’t start.
Willem Alberts: 6
The juggernaut utility forward only got 16 minutes, as replacement for the customarily iffy Spies, but did his best to make his presence felt.
Cape Town - Extraordinary, mortifying ... South Africa got an untimely dose of some known, own medicine as Australia’s defensive heroism plus no lack of luck saw them emerge winners of a gripping World Cup quarter-final in Wellington on Sunday.
Click to BUY the new FIFA 12 game
Click to BUY the new Drifta Mobile USB Decoder
It is the Boks who have a time-honoured reputation for sheer grit in soaking up pressure yet manufacturing occasional famous wins - the very same city in 1998 comes to mind, when Nick Mallett’s charges somehow kept the ceaseless All Black bombardment at bay for a 13-3 triumph en route to their maiden Tri-Nations title.
Here the boot was so surprisingly on the other foot, as the Boks played pretty much all the rugby against the supposedly free-running, up-tempo Wallabies, bullied them backwards for massive tracts of the game but somehow contrived to lose by two points.
Complain all you like about Bryce Lawrence’s officiating at times - and there was some legitimate cause to curse, it must be said - but the fact remained that all they could show for an estimated 76 percent of territory and 56 percent of possession were two Morné Steyn penalties and his dropped goal.
Fact: South Africa looked every bit like proud, defending champions but only led for 11 minutes of this match and butchered some glorious chances for tries through a fatal lack of composure at key moments.
At least they can return to our shores with collective heads held high - yes, old soldiers and young guns alike - unlike the last southern hemisphere World Cup in 2003 when there was so little to pluck from the debris.
Here’s how high I rated Sunday’s not-quite-heroes ...
Patrick Lambie: 7.5
Sparkling display from the fresh-faced Sharks man, who oozed cool-headedness - so important in a fullback - and was positionally sound. His little swerves and half-steps through traffic on attack were slick, too, and his second-half dropped goal attempt in such a tight affair didn’t miss by much ... a bit of a reflection of the Springbok afternoon as a whole. Part of SA’s new generation, for sure.
JP Pietersen: 6
Not too many opportunities for lengthy bursts presented themselves to the rangy wing, but Pietersen always looked for work and offered good pressure in the air when the Boks hoisted high balls.
Jaque Fourie: 6
The seasoned centre was tightly policed by the Wallabies, which meant running yards were limited for him, but as usual he was at the fulcrum of South Africa’s own backline defensive structure when it needed to be alert. Perhaps some critics would wish for a bit more offensive gusto these days from the Stormers man, nevertheless?
Jean de Villiers: 7
Terrific outing for Fourie’s old midfield partner: he certainly proved that the absence of the hitherto impressive Frans Steyn at No 12 wasn’t the end of the world as he brought his own brand of dynamism to the party. Made some telling breaks and mini-breaks ... but what a shame his intended try-securing off-load to a surging Lambie went forward. (Or did it really?)
Bryan Habana: 5
Yet again in this continuously unsatisfactory year for the once golden-boy left wing, Habana tried to be industrious, indicating the committed professional he is. But we’ve reached a point where his “trying really hard” just isn’t quite good enough, and he was correctly subbed with half an hour to go.
Morné Steyn: 6
A reasonable enough overall showing by the flyhalf who, let’s not forget, was the beneficiary of so much clean, go-forward ball. It was a pity his namesake Frans Steyn wasn’t around, of course, to have a crack at some of the penalties that were probably just beyond his realistic range. The Bulls man made some tackles, too ... but when you boss a game like the Boks did and can’t get over the whitewash, your No 10 is going to come under post-mortem scrutiny, isn’t he?
Fourie du Preez: 7
The veteran No 9 was back very close to his 2007 best, tactically astute and pushing out a lovely pass most of the time. Eish ... what a shame he lost control of that ball just short of the Wallaby try-line after another pressure-enforced charge-down, eh?
Pierre Spies: 5.5
Sorry, but Spies must go now: it is he who must provide game-breaking impact if required off the bench, not be the starter at No 8 where work-rate is a key, key factor. Why is he so routinely the least industrious of the loose forwards? Won some good lineout ball, to be fair, but on one occasion Bob Skinstad (not one to lack this himself) bemoaned his absence of “peripheral vision” as he was bundled into touch off a blind-side scrum burst.
Schalk Burger: 7
A complete contrast to Spies: one who beavers away with utter relish for 80 minutes and always stamps his mark on a game. It was no less the case in this quarter-final. But we will forever lament, I think, his questionable decision to try to make yards from deep in own quarter off a lineout early in the game, from which he was turned over as an avalanche of Wallaby forwards descended ... and James Horwill got the match’s only try.
Heinrich Brüssow: 5.5
The fetching dynamo, SA’s intended counter to the amazing David Pocock, could not make much personal headway for the first quarter of the encounter, and then had to agonisingly leave the park with a rib injury.
Victor Matfield: 7
Cheers, Victor, and thanks for the great memories. The warhorse bade involuntary farewell to Test rugby here – but not before producing a yeoman performance. He was typically imperious at the lineout and made a few “carries” as well, even if he might have been a bit more bloody-minded once or twice in cleanout situations.
Danie Rossouw: 5.5
A ho-hum game, for once at this tournament, by the ageing warrior, although he must be lauded for doing his bit in the broadly dominant effort by the Bok eight. Alas, he was the culprit for the 71st-minute, and reasonably needless, lineout penalty that scuppered Bok dreams.
Jannie du Plessis: 6.5
A couple of sterling right shoulders from the big tighthead, as the Boks ruled the scrummage roost. He also did his bit about the park, although he will perhaps never be the most mobile of No 3s ... and the Boks need to note, in their post-game analysis, the blanket, strength-in-numbers Aussie approach to the breakdowns.
John Smit: 6
Not great, but not poor, either - and I don’t feel, for all my stated preference for a certain other party as the rightful first-choice hooker at this World Cup, that the skipper must absorb any special, perhaps vitriolic blame for the early Bok exit from RWC 2011. He is a prior World Cup-hoister, never forget, and his place in the hall of fame is warranted for that very fact.
Gurthro Steenkamp: 6.5
Generally justified his preference over Beast Mtawarira for the loosehead position in this contest, although the iconic Sharks figure will still have a strong say in future Bok plans. He offered good focus and energy at scrum-time, although he was frustratingly turned over in one barrelling drive off an attacking lineout.
Relevant substitutes:
Francois Louw: 7
It is a tribute to his sometimes grossly under-appreciated quality that when Brussow exited the park, South Africa lost nothing in the open-side flank department for nearly an hour. Louw performed astonishingly well for a man who has played so little rugby in recent months, never mind just weeks.
Bismarck du Plessis: 7
Keep in mind that sometimes it is fairly easily for a substitute to shine after his predecessor has covered some hard yards. Still, the incredible “Bizzie” got in Wallaby faces extremely quickly. He’s mercifully booked as top man for the No 2 shirt henceforth!
Francois Hougaard: 6.5
He got half an hour off the bench and quickly offered more vibrancy, from limited chances, than Habana out wide. There will be justified grumpiness in some circles that he didn’t start.
Willem Alberts: 6
The juggernaut utility forward only got 16 minutes, as replacement for the customarily iffy Spies, but did his best to make his presence felt.
