Posted on 10/17/2003 12:08:10 PM PDT by .cnI redruM
Huge clash in Pool C The match that launched a thousand columns is finally here, with two of the most physical sides in world rugby, England and South Africa, battling it out at the Subiaco Oval in Perth for control of Pool C.
Games simply don't come much bigger than this and, despite the best intentions of both team managements to keep a lid on the massive media interest in the encounter, the accompanying hype has been enormous with journalists unable to resist the juicy narrative and its epic themes of revenge, hubris and destiny.
Naturally, the stakes are very high, with the winner of this clash able to avoid tournament favourites New Zealand until the Final, while the losers will face the prospect of coming nose-to-nose with the All Blacks in the quarter-final and then host nation Australia in the semi-final - not a scenario likely to bring World Cup success in anyone's book.
If that were not enough, there is also a just a smidgeon of bad blood between these teams, particularly after their last meeting at Twickenham back in November 22, a Test that was in many ways a throwback to the old days of physical intimidation and off-the-ball skullduggery.
That match - marred by the sending-off of South African lock Jannes Labuschagne for a late tackle on Jonny Wilkinson - ended in a 53-3 defeat for Corné Krige and his men, the Springbok skipper's humiliation complete in the aftermath when a clip showing him concussing one of his own players with a misguided punch was shown on UK television.
Although the Springboks have just two survivors from that match in their starting line-up on Saturday, the notion of avenging that defeat on behalf of the South African nation will not be far from their thoughts.
But revenge is not just a motivating factor for the men in green and gold. Scroll back a full four years to the last world cup and you'll find another epic encounter between the two nations - the Springboks' 42-21 quarter-final victory which booted England out of the tournament and nearly ended coach Clive Woodward's reign.
Five of England's starting line-up on Saturday experienced that shattering defeat in Paris and will be delighted to play their full part in speeding South Africa on their way out of the competition with a comprehensive victory in Perth.
So, forget the talk of 'mutual respect' and 'the past is past' made by the coaches and players in the build-up to the game, you can bet that behind closed doors it's a totally different scenario with Krige's and Johnson's pre-match speecheslikely to be more akin to monologues from a Tarantino movie than their measured press conference utterances of the past few days.
Despite the two teams coming at this match from opposite ends of the spectrum - England on a seemingly unstoppable upward curve and South Africa almost torn apart by off-field scandal and poor on-field performances - the game will perhaps be closer than many people would bargain for.
Giving the Springboks some crumbs of comfort ahead of their challenge will be the news - if Woodward is not simply engaging in another round of misinformation - that injury has deprived England of the services of key men Richard Hill and Matt Dawson for the match.
Both men have been beating South Africa (in England and Lions colours) since their earliest days as Test footballers and their input will be missed, despite England's ready-made replacements in Lewis Moody and Kyran Bracken.
But South Africa's main hopes of victory lie with their pack - shored up considerably since the Twickenham nightmare. This pack will not roll over as easily as last time around.
The presence of lock Victor Matfield - absent in November - will be a major boost for the Springboks, enabling them to disrupt England's flow of possession at source.
In addition, the no-nonsense front row selected by South Africa should make it more of a match up front and help to prevent England's back row men from having a free rein in proceedings.
If England's forward pack do turn in a performance reminiscent of Twickenham 2002, it is inconceivable to see South Africa coming anywhere close to them in terms of the final scoreline.
Players to watch:
For England: The England pack is a formidable unit and it is Gloucester prop Phil Vickery who perhaps best typifies the indomitable spirit England's men up-front. Not a destructive scrummager, he nevertheless makes life very uncomfortable for the opposition with his trademark surges upfield.
For South Africa: After the humiliation of Twickenham, the aftermath of which saw him widely ridiculed in the UK media for a series of off-the-ball incidents, Springbok skipper Corné Krige will lack for nothing in terms of motivation this time around and will be utterly determined to ensure his performance is remembered for the right reasons.
Head to head: Steve Thompson (England) v Danie Coetzee (South Africa): One of the most dynamic hookers in world rugby, Thompson has worked hard on bringing his set-piece skills up to the standard of his broken play running, although his line-out work can still sometimes wobble at crucial moments. His opposite number, Coetzee has started in every Springbok Test this year, and with good reason given his consistency and dedication to the cause. His work at the line-out should help the Springboks gain parity with their counterparts.
Recent Results: In 2002: England won by 53 at Twickenham In 2001: England won by 29-9 at Twickenham In 2000: England won by 25-17 at Twickenham In 2000: England won by 27-22 in Bloemfontein In 2000: South Africa won by 18-13 in Pretoria
Prediction: You can never be totally, 100 percent sure of picking a winner in a match between two of the top four teams in the Zurich World Rankings, but only the most patriotic of South African fans - and I mean someone who each night hangs up his eye patch while humming Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika before retiring to bed wrapped in the rainbow flag - would back the Springboks for this encounter. Zurich Computer Prediction: England by 22 points. Planet Rugby Prediction: England by 10 points. SportingOdds.com Prediction: England by 17 points.
The teams:
England: 15 Josh Lewsey, 14 Jason Robinson, 13 Will Greenwood, 12 Mike Tindall, 11 Ben Cohen, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Kyran Bracken, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio, 7 Neil Back, 6 Lewis Moody, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Martin Johnson (captain), 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Trevor Woodman. Replacements: 16 Dorian West, 17 Jason Leonard, 18 Martin Corry, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Andy Gomarsall, 21 Paul Grayson, 22 Dan Luger.
South Africa: 15 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 14 Ashwin Willemse, 13 Jorrie Muller, 12 De Wet Barry, 11 Thinus Delport, 10 Louis Koen, 9 Joost van der Westhuizen, 8 Juan Smith, 7 Joe van Niekerk, 6 Corné Krige (captain), 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Richard Bands, 2 Danie Coetzee, 1 Christo Bezuidenhout. Replacements: 16 John Smit, 17 Lawrence Sephaka, 18 Selborne Boome, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Neil de Kock, 21 Derick Hougaard, 22 Werner Greeff.
Kick-off: Saturday, 18 October, 20.00 local, 13.00 BST, 12.00 GMT, Live in the UK on ITV1 Venue: Subiaco Oval, Perth Conditions: Sunny, Maximum 18C, Minimum: 3C Referee: Referee Peter Marshall Touch judges: David McHugh, Donal Courtney TMO: Ian Ramage
That's Rugby. If you can't play hurt, why play at all.
I used to tape mine together using a cardboard splint. And I once played half a season with a shoulder that would not stay put in the socket. Every time I reach-up for the ball, my shoulder would pop out and I would have to rotate it back in place, like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon.
I felt the same about the priests from Loyala College near Syracuse, New York. Off the field, gentle as a man can be. On the pitch, tough as nails. And yes, they did like to drink and sing like the rest of us.
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