"To say South Africa exploded a few cosy theories would be the understatement of the rugby year. So much for the idea, for example, that France would avenge the injustice of their World Cup quarter-final defeat to the Springboks. That entering the final quarter with a narrow lead and an extra man would translate into inevitable glory. That even without their talisman Antoine Dupont they still had more than enough tranquiliser darts to keep the big beasts safely at bay."
"What was perhaps even more striking was the mental strength underpinning it all. Without Lood de Jager shown a 38th-minute straight red for a shoulder to the head of Thomas Ramos the Boks could easily have lost their composure. Instead they simply circled the wagons and set about dragging the deflated boys in blue to what the former French international hooker Benjamin Kayser called the hurt locker."
South Africa produced a dominant comeback to defeat France in Paris, scoring 19 unanswered points after trailing 17-13. The Boks played with 14 men after Lood de Jager was shown a 38th-minute red card for a shoulder to the head of Thomas Ramos, yet maintained composure and overwhelmed the French pack in the final half-hour. The result underscored the Springboks' growing physicality, superior forwards and mental resilience, following earlier statement wins such as 43-10 over New Zealand in Wellington. France showed promising young forwards but were outmuscled, and England and Scotland lacked equivalent front-row impact.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]