French ‘welcome’ to support Springboks as thoughts turn to England

PARIS – If the French public are unsure of where their loyalties lie now that Fabien Galthie’s team have gone out of the Rugby World Cup, South African hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi has extended an invitation: support the Boks.

In one of the all-time great World Cup encounters, French hopes of a first triumph on home soil turned to dust as the Springboks came back from a 25-19 deficit at the Stade de France on Sunday to win a thrilling match 29-28.

A thrilling first half saw the teams trade three tries apiece with Cyril Baille (twice), Peato Mauvaka crossing the line for France, while Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe did likewise for the reigning champions.

While the Springboks’ Eben Etzebeth scored the second stanza’s only try, it remained a tense and engaging contest.

Said South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber: “We knew it was going to be this tight. I think everybody knew it was going to be a big battle. There were two good teams and fortunately for us, we were on the right side of things.”

Mbonambi, who took over as the undisputed No. 1 hooker only after the injury that ruled Malcolm Marx out of the tournament, put in an outstanding all-round show that earned him the official Player of the Match award.

“We have 60 million South Africans who support us all the way and I think for now that will do but if the French want to support us, they’re more than welcome,” he said.

“We’ve really enjoyed our time here and we’re looking forward to the following week.”

Schalk Burger, a flanker in the Springboks side who beat England in the 2007 World Cup final in Paris, added on SuperSport: “When Siya (Kolisi) left the field, Bongi (Mbonambi) took over as captain and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He was at the coalface, battling to establish forward supremacy.”

Within minutes of the final whistle, South African thoughts, however, were turning towards the next step in their bid to retain the World Cup they won in Yokohama four years ago.

On Saturday, the Springboks will be back in Paris to take on England, the side they comprehensively beat 32-12 in the 2019 final.

The English are the last European team left in the tournament after last weekend’s losses for France, Wales and Ireland.

The Red Rose had a poor Six Nations, finishing fourth, and lost three of their warmup games to Wales, Ireland and Fiji.

Surprisingly, they are the only unbeaten side left in the tournament, having topped their pool and reversed that Fiji loss with a 30-24 win over the Pacific Islanders in their quarter-final in Marseille.

“We have played against England a lot,” said South African scrum-half Faf de Klerk.

“Obviously, they have been struggling before the World Cup but they have definitely started to turn things around.

“It is going to be a very big, tough challenge, especially with a six-day turnaround. We just have to focus on recovery and make sure we are ready for that.”

The Springboks, who were beaten 13-8 by Ireland in the pool phase, have again shown the resilience which made them third-time champions in 2019 but they remain wary of the English.

Flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, who needed a head injury assessment during the game, suggested England’s new coach Steve Borthwick and his team have started to get things working in France.

“They have won every game,” he said.

“A World Cup is different when you get to knockout matches and they have taken their opportunities.

“Hopefully we will do that against England as well. The ball can go either way. We just have to make sure we are better prepared and stick to our plan.”

Since taking charge of the South Africa side in 2018, the management team of Rassie Erasmus and Nienaber have shown a masterful understanding of pre-match planning as well as decision-making during the game.

The pair will undoubtedly have Borthwick and his England team already in their sights. Considering traditional rivalries, the French public may feel the same.
AFP, REUTERS