BY THE END of it, Springboks centre Jesse Kriel was covered in blood.
It was a thrilling spectacle at Stade de France last night but it was brutally physical too. And after a huge shift involving 14 tackles, Kriel bore the marks of it. He had been stitched up by the time he spoke post-match.
“I got a few,” said Kriel in typically understated South African fashion. “I don’t know how many, it’s quite a big cut. I think just hitting a guy’s hip or something, a bit of bone on bone. Luckily, these things heal.”
France’s wounds will take a bit longer to close over. This one cut them deep and the scenes of devastation at the final whistle were understandable. 2023 was supposed to be when it finally happened for les Bleus. With the brilliant Antoine Dupont making a miracle recovery from a fractured cheekbone to start last night, it just seemed like it was written in the stars.
But the Boks edged an epic World Cup quarter-final and they march on in defence of their title. They’ll be favourites against England in this Saturday’s semi-final.
Not that last night was without its hairy moments for Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber’s Springboks. They had to live with some sensational French play that cut them open for three first-half tries and could have yielded a few more after half time when Eben Etzebeth was in the sin bin.
“I think as South Africans we are a pretty resilient bunch,” said Kriel afterwards, summing up how much grit he and his team-mates had to show.
This was a typical South African performance in many ways. They showed huge character in the midst of a chaotic game that could have swung firmly into France’s favour on a few occasions.
They kicked very well as always, with two of their four tries coming from regained contestable kicks. There was also a powerful effort from a five-metre tap that Etzebeth finished in emphatic fashion.
The other Boks try was a familiar one, but the kind for which they draw less praise. It was a lightning-quick counter-attack that involved Kriel rolling an inch-perfect grubber kick behind the French for the rapid Cheslin Kolbe to gather and finish. That was a stunning flash of skill from Kriel but people tend to focus on his power in the tackle.
Indeed, that’s what everyone usually focuses on with the Springboks – the sheer power and size of them. And it’s true that they bring massive physicality and mass to any game. It’s a real superpower for them.
However, it does also mean their rugby intellect can be disregarded. Even the Boks supporters are deeply knowledgeable about the game. It has been fascinating to hear their discussions at games here in France, often with detailed appreciation for what their own team and the opposition actually do on the pitch. They live and breathe the game.
Within the Boks set-up, Erasmus and Nienaber are great examples of the smarts in South Africa rugby. They are innovative and creative, even if it’s a different kind of innovation from what other rugby cultures value most. Sometimes, you’re left wondering what the hell they’re thinking but usually, they’re proven right. Even their squad selection for this World Cup was initially baffling but soon started to make more sense.
The Boks bench is another fine example. In 2019, they thrived with a 6/2 split that maximised their strengths. At this World Cup, they were brave enough to trail a 7/1 bench that could have back-fired badly and didn’t really work out as planned.
Last night, they went to a 5/3 bench and included several players who many of us would have thought are starters rather than impact players. Handré Pollard and Faf de Klerk were the more obvious starting halfbacks for this quarter-final, but the Boks went with Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok, who ended up being suited to the style of game and, we should stress, whose kicking created those two tries.
Then the Boks sprung Pollard and de Klerk early in the second half as part of a tweaked Bomb Squad to see out the game. They were key in delivering a composed final quarter as the South Africans just about finished over the top of the French.
What other team would call their captain ashore after just 46 minutes? The Boks did that, sending on hooker/back row hybrid Deon Fourie for Siya Kolisi because Erasmus and Nienaber felt that was what was most required at that stage of the game.
Even the traffic lights and social media posts might seem silly, but these Boks invariably know what they’re doing. And they are never anything less than 100% invested into the plan, every single one of them. Few teams are as aligned as these South Africans.
The defensive effort last night bordered on wild but that was all within a deeply-detailed and intricate system that Nienaber has worked out and then imparted to his players concisely. They’re all on the same page.
And then on the other side of the ball, the Boks bring a belligerent ruthlessness to the party, something that they share with New Zealand. When it comes to knock-out rugby, these fellas are composed and clinical.
Just look at the stats. South Africa had seven visits to the opposition 22 last night and came away with four tries. New Zealand had six visits to the Irish 22 on Saturday and scored three tries.
Ireland? 15 visits for a return of three tries. France? 13 visits for a return of three tries.
That’s the stuff that really counts. So while the Boks’ progress has once again been underpinned by an awesome physical effort, their brain power is equally as important.