Clinical execution
Having said that the Springboks were very clinical in their execution and the Namibians stood no chance against the potent attack of the Boks. Some might think that these games are a waste of time, but I don't agree. These games often help the stronger team to run through moves they would like to try against stronger opposition. When these moves actually come off as they did for the Boks then it generates a massive amount of confidence amongst the players and the management. This confidence is visible amongst the Springbok players and all looks to be on track for the Springboks to become the first team in history to defend their title as world champions.
There is one "small" hurdle in our way to the final and that is Samoa. They are an extremely physical team and our biggest worry will be injuries to key players. They have many incredibly physical players in their team and they will be very confident going into this game. The Samoan confidence comes from their amazing victory against Australia in Australia. In that game they literally tackled the Aussies into submission and the Australians were rattled. I think back to our game in 2003 against Samoa in the World Cup and I can't help but remind you of a tackle on Derrick Hougaard, our fly-half for the day. It remains the biggest tackle I have ever seen, and I still can't believe that Hougaard got up and continued to play. Let's hope those bone-crushing tackles come from the likes of Bismarck du Plessis and Schalk Burger.
There were many big hits this weekend, but the big game this weekend was the match between the All Blacks and France. The French were slated for picking a "weakened" team when they announced that Morgan Parra, their regular number nine, was to play at fly-half. Once the game had started, I thought that we might be in for a surprise. The French came out firing and really put the All Black line under pressure. After about 10 minutes they had 82 percent possession and a similar statistic for field position. The All Blacks were under the cosh, but showed their class by scoring a fantastic try on their first visit to the French 22 a couple of minutes later. This broke the French bravery and from then on it really was one-way traffic. Credit to the French for never giving up and keeping the score respectable. This performance by the hosts really sent out a message that any team that wants to beat the All Blacks will have to be at their very best and will have to defend like Trojans. The next two weeks will be a very interesting time and really will separate the milk from the cream. I already know that the Springboks are cream, but they are not alone in that category.
