This is the day the Rugby World Cup final.
This is the day every four years I get most excited about.
England got here by demolishing the All Blacks in a way that I have never seen done before.
The Springboks got here by playing ten-man rugby. Or you could say nine-man rugby, by the way Faf de Klerk box-kicked.
Now onto my predictions, this is my sypnosis of what I think will happen.
1. The Springboks will open the scoring with an early penalty goal.
2. England and the Springboks will exchange penalty goals to make it 6-6.
3. England will score the one try (scored by Anthony Watson) within the last ten minutes of the first half.
4. England will blow the game open in the second half to score three converted tries.
5. The Springboks will score a late consolation try.
6. There will be no cards.
7. The final score will be 34-13 to England.
8. Man of the match will be Sam Underhill as he owns the breakdown.
That is the way I see the World Cup unfolding.
All the planning that England has done for this Rugby World Cup has been as meticulous as it was for the Cricket World Cup.
valleybeanie
Roar Rookie
Hope you didn't put the rent chq on that Mike!
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
This aged well :laughing:
Thanks Riccardo, unfortunately/fortunately Rassie has bigger plans, he says he will still be hands on with the Bok team, but his ambitions lie in ensuring South African rugby as a whole must maintain consistency in excellence. Which sounds promising, but the personal touch he has will be lost on the Springboks. The team played as much for him, bought into his culture of honesty and transparency, if he doesn’t appoint the right coach, then that could be lost.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
Yes BB. Close with the score but the wrong way round. Complete 180, in fact. Bokke were awesome mate; congratulations to you, Harry and the many other South African contributors here. Just gotta try and keep Rassie now...
Edward Parsons
Guest
No surprise that the Springboks collected the Rugby World Cup perhaps England over compensated mentally "we beat the blacks now to the boks". Pom Press usual BS outrageous and presumptuous comments after the semi finals just show their chicken count should have been taken later not before the game So you underestimate South Africa and you lose. New Zealand knows how difficult it is to beat the tough grind of the African team well done congrats yarpies.
Kranko
Guest
The Bokke proved you all wrong.
Phantom
Roar Rookie
Not your best work.
Mike your score was pretty close, you just got the teams mixed up.
Boosho
Roar Pro
Is that your boy in the photo Harry? Is he on the roar?
Harry Jones
Expert
20-12 SA
JC2 (theres already been one)
Guest
Whoever wins...enjoy it while you can. The ABs are coming!
yippityio
Roar Rookie
Thanks for nothing, what's the point of watching now that I know the outcome. You're as bad as my wife blurting out the score when I've missed the game live and just settling in to watch the replay. Reads well though- like your thinking.
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
Interesting, and brave article, Mike. Bookmakers are with you. An alternative view. Boks win the toss and elect to kick deep into red zone corner. England go through 3 phases, and clear with a kick up field. Boks run ball back to English 10 m line. 25 phases later, Pollard drops a goal, with 7 mins gone. England kick deep, Boks after two phases fall foul of Garces....penalty. England kick to corner, at lineout England win a ball thrown a good 1 m down there side...quite fine ! Another penalty for collapsed maul against Boks, 5 m out, and England opt for scrum. Boks totally wreck England scrum and they fall all over the place. Graces penalises the Boks for a deliberate wheel, Farrell kicks the goal...3 - 3 after 11 mins. Fast forward to last 3 mins, with Garces having been the top performer on the field, and both sets of fans ready to exterminate him. England are leading by two points. Farrell clears well downfield to Boks 10 m line, and a Bok catches the ball. It is François Philippus Lodewyk Steyn , and as he has done in the past, he launches a long and towering drop kick, which sails between the posts, landing in the 10th row of the stands. Boks lift the Webb Ellis Cup !
Tooly
Roar Rookie
A lot of box kicks for 10 minutes . Pollock field goal. 20 minutes, Jonny May scores off a kick 7-3 25 minutes Penalty SA. 7-6. 35 de Toit try 7-13 45 England penalty 10-13 50 Underhill bounces off Eztebeth holding shoulder. 52 Underhill off. 60 England penalty 13 all. 65 Snyman on Loot off. 70 Snyman try under the post 13-20 Farrell injured in tackle , off. 75 Big break by England , Watson try wide out , converted 20 all. 82 Grim forward contact on half way. Faf passes to Frans Steyn on his own 10 metre line wide out. Field Goal SA win 23-20.
Ex force fan
Guest
If England wants to win this game they will have to win it in the 1st half. When the Boks bench comes on the Boks forwards will take control. England will complain after the game that the comaparitively tougher path to final took more out of them than the Boks in the last 30 min when it was 6/2 bench split and quality on the bench that won it.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Sounds plausible but I think highly unlikely
Puff
Guest
Whoever wins the final will probably kick their way to victory. To score 5 pointers, requires much more ball movement and innovation. Both teams have upfront grunt but neither have fast hands and sublime ball handling skills.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Very specific predictions. I would recommend vagueness in prognostication. Check out nostradamus, just waffle any confusing babble and people can make of it what they like
Loftus
Guest
Are you English?
The Harsh Reality
Guest
Boks throw caution to the wind in the second half, England just hang on. Lots of tears and hugging on both sides. Japan divert investment in sumo wrestling to rugby and win the next WC. The 2019 Wallabies all back up for another tilt coached by Gus Gould, he drafts David Warner, they come agonizingly close to making the quarters and Gus blames the video referee. I`m not making this up.