HANDRE POLLARD’S DECISION to switch South Africa’s attack to the short side put Argentina in trouble, but Eben Etzebeth’s bronze-medal sealing score still required a series of perfectly-timed passes.
After Pollard’s switch, Willie Le Roux’s reverse pass draws a defender and leaves the ‘Boks with three bodies to two Puma defenders, but to navigate down such a narrow channel Jesse Kriel and Bryan Habana’s passes had to be super slick.
Habana, who was replaced with 14 minutes still on the clock and his name still only level with Jonah Lomu’s 15-try record tournament haul, must have pulled on his blazer tonight wondering why his hands seemed to fail him at every one of his own try-scoring opportunities.
