South Africa coach Peter de Villiers said Monday that hosts New Zealand remain Rugby World Cup favourites despite suffering two consecutive Tri-Nations defeats this month.
The All Blacks surrendered the southern hemisphere championship following a 25-20 defeat in Australia last Saturday, one week after a much weaker team fell by 13 points to the Springboks in Port Elizabeth.
“To beat the All Blacks in New Zealand will be very tough and they remain favourites for the World Cup,” De Villiers said.
“But if the pressure in New Zealand gets to the team, then it could affect the way they play,” De Villiers said of a country that has won the title only once despite consistently boasting the best team in the world.
New Zealand hosted and won the first World Cup in 1987, but have failed repeatedly since, losing the 1995 ‘Nelson Mandela final’ against South Africa, three semi-finals and a quarter-final.
De Villiers rates New Zealand favourites despite an impressive showing by the Wallabies, who earned a third Tri-Nations crown in Brisbane courtesy of a Kurtley Beale try after a 17-point half-time advantage disappeared.
“Australia got it right last Saturday – they cut down on the space available to New Zealand because both teams like to play expansively,” De Villiers said.
“The Wallabies concentrated more on their forwards and were brutal in contact and you could see they were very focused by the way they stared down the haka.”
Springboks doctor Craig Roberts said six players had minor injuries and trained separately Monday from the rest of the 30-strong squad, who indulged in a contact session at a high school near the team hotel in Johannesburg.
He named the minor ‘crocks’ as utility backs Patrick Lambie (shoulder), Ruan Pienaar (ankle) and Francois Steyn (hamstring), centre Jean de Villiers (groin) and locks Bakkies Botha (knee) and Victor Matfield (hamstring).
Seeking to become the first nation to successfully defend the World Cup, South Africa face Wales, Fiji, Samoa and Namibia in Pool D and are expected to top the table and set up a probable quarter-final clash with Ireland.
The Springboks leave Johannesburg for Sydney Thursday evening after greeting the public and are scheduled to arrive Saturday in Wellington, where they open their title defence on September 11 against Wales.
Photon
Guest
This is the funniest thread I've read in a while, thanks to all the contributers, you can always count on Pieter to stir things up :)
Kane
Guest
You would probably have the first 8 in the Wallabies though eh?
Johnno
Guest
Ah yes OHTANI'S JACKET samoa how could i forget them. We will look back on this game out loss to NZ C as the turning point in th wallabies world cup winning season , i think. Only one samoa player would make the all blacks Tuilagi , the no 1 winger in the world right now. His younger brother is going to be a real x-factor ALAS FOR England not NZ C lol.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
I think you're forgetting NZ C, the one that's full of x factor players.
Mike
Guest
What's Jerry whingeing about now? Looking for some nit-picky point to go off about, apparently. Okay, I agree that PdeV at no point has said (so far as I am aware) "there is a great deal for the Wallabies to worry about". Happy now? :)
Ralph
Guest
"Everyone saying...". Goodness, must have taken a while to get around everyone. Was this is writing or more like talk back radio?
Jerry
Guest
Really? Kindly point out where he said anything remotely like that in the article. Oh wait - you don't have to actually back up the crap you talk, that's right.
Red Chief
Roar Pro
2 weeks ago NZ A and NZ B would have won the cup. Things can change very quickly (as they have), which is why this WC is going to be a cracker. People may aswell give up on predicting the winner, because anything can happen.
Red Chief
Roar Pro
No, no, no. They are by far and away, the worst the world has to offer. Go watch the Eden Park bledisloe, and count how many times Kearns winges about something. Its horrible to listen to, and his winging seams to rub off on idiots who dont know the rules. At the suncorp Bledisloe I was surrounded by morons screaming about McCaw coming in from the side. They shut up after I twice pointed out that McCaw was about 15m away from the ruck.
ivan
Guest
I recall just 2 weeks ago - everyone saying that the only two teams that can lift the web ellis trophy, are NZ A and NZ B. And both were beaten in consecutive weeks. You'd favor NZ but their cup history says orherwise, as opposed to SA and Aus. Aus B are so bad they lose to a 2nd tier nation, so 2 injuries to key players will end their WC. For me all three 3N sides are the favorites.
Mike
Guest
Nice of you to finally join us at the adult's table, Jerry. There is room for all. And yes, I would have thought there is a great deal for the Wallabies to worry about. Which was essentially PdeV's point, I think.
Jerry
Guest
Meanwhile, at the adults table.... The Wallabies under Deans have a history of not playing 80 minutes. It's cost them time and time again - usually against the AB's, but there are other examples (the first test in SA last year for instance and very nearly the second). Like in Hong Kong, last weekend they were able to absorb the fightback and finish the match in front, but the reality is that they do seem incapable of sustaining a genuine 80 minute effort. Which has to be a worry for them, in that no lead is seemingly safe.
Mike
Guest
Jerry has a very good point. And if you look further back (after all, why stop at just two matches?) the ABs have a much better for-and-against ratio than the wallabies - hey they are far better than every other team. On that basis we can prove statistically that the ABs will "keep the foot on the throat for the entire 80" in every game of the RWC. Ergo, they WILL be the champions. No question about it. I hope you now understand how wrong you were CraigB not to appreciate this logic. Repent, in sackcloth and ashes!
Jerry
Guest
Craig - both teams had a 17 point lead at halftime. In Brisbane, the AB's fought back to draw level and ended up losing by less than a converted try. In Auckland, the Wallabies were never within a converted try in the second half and only managed to get within 2 converted tries for about 30 seconds before Sivivatu scored immediately following a restart. Based on the two matches, the conclusion that the AB's have a better ability to keep the foot on the throat for the entire 80 is a valid conclusion.
JamesB
Guest
Wallabies are the Tri-nations champions, so they must be installed as the favourites :)
WQ
Guest
Nice work Quakezone, I agree with your analysis completely. I think the one thing the AB's did get wrong was to much freedom for Genia to run from the base of the Ruck. This probably came about as a result of loosing Read and Thompson however still to much room. Kaino will also be a welcome addition come World Cup time. I think Dan Carter had a very poor match and took some very ordinary options. On several occasions he passed the ball to team mates in very poor positions on the field. I know the AB's want to run the ball however numbers around the ball carrier and field position still speak loudly on the Rugby field! As you say though we will probably not see that again for some time. I will say it again, I think it was the best thing that could have happened. Is'nt it interesting that none of the Wobbly supporters have mentioned anything like "peaking to early" or "who cares about the Tri-Nations in a World Cup year", I will guarantee that would have been the line had the All Blacks beaten them on Saturday!
Quakezone...
Guest
Makes perfect sense once the dust settles look at the game again and then comment - The AB's tries were actually scored with relative ease and structured play 20 points in twenty minutes. The 1st half The WBs were on fire and a couple of them played out of their skin, doing that 3 weeks in a row is a huge ask when the business end of the tournament starts as the Wallabies haven't really shown in the last coupkle of years that they are capable of doing that this week Quades passes went to hand and not to ground and the things he tried worked, thats going to happen now and then and usually after a shocker - Dan Carter had a shocker in the black jersey which also happens every once in a while and we probably won't see that again this yea, back row was outplayed that made a huge difference in the game....
TembaVJ
Guest
Red Chief only fraction worse than the Kiwi commentators...
Red Chief
Roar Pro
Gee Phil Kearns and Greg Martin have alot of influence over some of these Aussie roarers. Quick tip, dont believe everything you hear from the two worst one eyed commentators the world of sport has ever seen.
Mike
Guest
You're right WQ, nothing at all for the ABs to worry about here. Business as usual.