339 Responses to RWC (Quarters): South Africa vs Australia – Live Game Article

• 

  331

  Rugbyprof on 9 October 2011 at 10:22 am

  Good riddance Smittie! Thanks for 2007, but you overstayed your welcome. You were badly shown up once again by Bissie. Everyone else had good game today. Maybe not Banana. Can’t see why Wales can’t win it. They keep the ball, good on defence and calm under pressure with good game breakers.

  FRANCE WILL NEVER EVER WIN A WORLD CUP!
• 

  332

  Puma on 9 October 2011 at 12:33 pm

  Feel TOTALLY GUTTED. How did we lose this game? We were all over them. A game we should have won.

  If they had outplayed us and beat us well then I would have felt okay. We totally dominated them. To lose a game like that is heartbreaking.

  He had them on the ropes for most of the game. How we lost it is mind boggling.

  The Aussie defence won them the game. Defence has always won a world cup.

  Pocock was their trump card once again. Pity we lost Brussow so early. He was with the injured Boks this week after the Samoan game. Was it the same injury that took a knock? Not sure.

  Well done to the Wallabies. Though Boks should have walked away with a win today. Sad about it but all the best to the Aussies.

  If anyone says the ref was okay well he was not. Think of Burger right on their line. There should have been a penalty against Oz for not realisng the tackled player.Also Vicerman should have been penalised not once but a few times. Ag, such a pity FdP dropped the ball on just on their line. So close but so far as they say.

  Why did we kick for touch in the first half? Should have gone for poles. Was the wind a factor then? We did win our lineout only to lose the ball there. 3 points went begging.

  We missed Frans Steyn for those long penalties. Can’t blame Morne for missing those two. They were out of his range. We also missed BAKKIES huge, huge today.

  Anyhow let us support this team when they come home. They put everything on the line there today for their country. A game we should have won but somehow lost it.

  Thanks for all the great rugby they have given us to smile about during their great years.

  To, John, Victor, FdP, Steenkamp, Bakkies and Danie. Go well and all the best for the rest of your rugby careers or whatever you do after this. You all have made us proud winning the last wc and the BIL series and a 3Nations series. We the true supporters won’t forget the great times you all gave us. Salute to you all. It was just not meant to be this time. Could have been but that how it goes. We still support all of you.
• 

  333

  Puma on 9 October 2011 at 12:44 pm

  @ Rugbyprof:331 – If you want to blame anyone. Then sad but true blame Danie for giving away a penalty right near the end. That cost us the game.

  Though we should have won it.

  All the John bashers can come out if they want. It was not John that lost us this game.

  There were many things that went wrong. Pressure does that. Here are some but none of it was JOHN.

  FdP dropped the ball right on our line too. Otherwise that would have been a try.

  JdV held on for 2 seconds to long before passing to Lambie. Otherwise that too would have been a try. Also if JdV had passed proper in the first quarter, to Habs he would have been away for a try, instead they got the ball and got it down almost to ourline and from there they got a try. Burger should not have held onto the ball and try and run it from our line. Should have given it back to Morne to clear it. Otherwise they would not have got a try.

  So blaming John is just not fair. Look at the whole game before you blame one person.

  They also got away a lot at the breakdown. Ref was not great. Whether some say so or not. Plenty times they were not releasing the tackled player.
• 

  334

  Puma on 9 October 2011 at 12:53 pm

  Also playing our key players against Samoa was daft. Losing Steyn and Brussow picked up a injury there too. We basicly played this game without Brussow today. Think the knock he took was probably to the injury he picked up in that Samoan game.

  Steyn might have have got one of the long range kicks today had he been there.

  Never play your key players against a team that only want to hurt and injure players. We had good enough replacements to play in that game.

  Anyhow easy said now. Just have to move on. Sun is out and what a beautiful day.

  Next year we have a tour here of England. Love the tours and pleased they sort of bringing them back. Will be good to have Arg in the 4Nations too. Plenty to look forward too.

  Some may say they won’t support the All Blacks next week. But really they have been the best team in many years now. So I hope they can finally win a world cup. They do deserve it.

  Then whoever is there in the final. Good luck and best wishes to them all. Wales too. They playing some very good rugby. Nice to see some new teams coming through.

  Good luck to our Boks for next year. Some exciting times ahead. We have so many talented youngsters coming through.
• 

  335

  Puma on 9 October 2011 at 12:55 pm

  @ Puma:meant – basically
• 

  336

  4man on 9 October 2011 at 1:23 pm

  Missing your kicks early in the game comes back to bite you.
  Ref on the day was abysmal as was the one linesman.
  Aussie commentator irked the hell out of me, they played the ball on the ground on their try line….not once!!! commentator says “great they got away with it”, wheres the ethics and wheres the message for young people.
  Despite all the possession, all the lineouts and all the territory we contrived to lose this one….it wasn’t to be our day…we left at least 20 points out there. For their effort the Aussies deserve it, but they go into a semi against NZ severely diminished in strength. Looks like a NZ/Wales final in my estimate. This is now New Zealands world cup to lose and a grey Hooking veteran left from their only win in 1987 where he was a young boy should finally get his win…..GO WALES!!
• 

  337

  Puma on 9 October 2011 at 2:27 pm

  Peter Quits as Coach.

  All the best Peter. Go well and thanks for the BIL Series win and a 3Nations win.
• 

  338

  Puma on 9 October 2011 at 3:16 pm

  Here how how Rob Houwing from Sports 24 rated our players.
  ———————————————————–

  Pat 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.
• 

  339

  Wallabie. on 9 October 2011 at 10:04 pm

  Gentlemen and ladies my commiserations it is tough being on the losing side.

  The pain seems hard to bear…in a sporting sense!