Ed Budge
England v South Africa Match ~Review
Ed Budge
By Ed Budge September 15 2007
England vs. South Africa 14th September, 2007 Rugby World Cup, Pool A Match Review The last time England failed to score a point in an International match was against Australia in 1998, but the sad truth is that England’s attacking game has not looked as inept, as toothless, as sterile as it did last night for some time longer.
Ed Budge
England vs. South Africa 14th September, 2007 Rugby World Cup, Pool A Match Review The last time England failed to score a point in an International match was against Australia in 1998, but the sad truth is that England’s attacking game has not looked as inept, as toothless, as sterile as it did last night for some time longer.
England vs. South Africa
14th September, 2007
Rugby World Cup, Pool A
Match Review
14th September, 2007
Rugby World Cup, Pool A
Match Review
The last time England failed to score a point in an International match was
against Australia in 1998, but the sad truth is that England's attacking
game has not looked as inept, as toothless, as sterile as it did last night
for some time longer. The only thing holding together a nation of
supporters, after last night's 36-0 loss at the hands of South Africa, is
that the embarrassment of the defeat, the ignominy of its humiliating
margin, is outweighed by the predictability of the outcome. Nobody can say
they were not warned.
Those expecting calamity from the first whistle were initially disappointed,
but it was not long before the crowd sampled a taste of what would follow,
as England conceded two needless penalties inside the opening five minutes.
Then the first blow was struck.
Shaun Perry was guilty of allowing JP Pietersen acres of room on the
blindside of a ruck, and having met the tackle of Paul Sackey the winger
offloaded to the exceptional Fourie du Preez who almost evaded Jason
Robinson's cursory cover tackle before feeding the equally stupendous Juan
Smith to put the Springboks into an early 7-0 lead.
The buzz from the South African support kicked up a notch minutes later when Bryan Habana broke free from a clutch of tackles before eventually being felled by an excellent tackle from Josh Lewsey. The Wasps man was to marshall the world's best winger admirably throughout the evening. South
Africa gained a further three points after another careless infringement
allowed Francois Steyn to send the ball through the uprights like a guided
missile; the 20-year-old proving further that he can do just about anything
by lining up at inside centre, assuming long-range kicking duties and twice
stripping possession from big England forwards before retiring to his hotel
to wow guests and teammates alike with a one-man performance of Rigoletto (presumably).
A brief moment of promise ensued when England stole a scrum against the
head, only for Nick Easter to take the wrong option, feeding Perry on the
blindside who proceeded to punt the ball straight into touch. It was
thoroughly indicative of England's propensity to use the boot and the
inauspicious ends met by the majority of their brightest moments. This was
to be perfectly crystallised later when Ben Kay attempted a chip over the
defence a mere 10 yards from the try-line - echoes of his butter fingered
performance near the whitewash in 2003 abound.
Lewsey chipped in with another important tackle causing Jaque Fourie to
spill the ball over the line after the other Fourie, Du Preez, had rifled a
penalty deep into space behind the English defence. From the resultant
drop-out, England did as they did on every previous and subsequent occasion, blasting the ball low and long only to see the Bokke run it back fervently or pin Ashton's men in their own 22. By half time I was already anticipating the need for a good thesaurus opened to the word ‘naivety' as England continued to play into their opponents' hands, blithely entering a kicking duel which they lost from minutes one to eighty.
Half-time, however, was yet to arrive. Before it did, Percy Montgomery
calmly stroked home his first penalty before a try for Pietersen made it
20-0 at the break. After Ben Kay was turned over in opposition territory, a
speculative pass rolled along the deck towards du Preez and sniffing an
opportunity, Andy Farrell rushed forth attempting to fly-hack through the
defence. He missed. He missed, and a corps of supporters never wanting for
‘I-told-you-sos' took a self-satisfied intake of breath, ready to cast the
Rugby League convert to the winds like Poseidon with an errant vessel. In
truth, though, Farrell's performance - this and a couple of other mistakes
aside - seemed a product of an ill-conceived game plan. He will be blamed
for the incessant kicking, for England's lifeless midfield, for whatever he
can be blamed, but whether this was merely a consequence of a naïve and
illogical strategy, we may never know. Needless to say, Du Preez picked up and made his way downfield before feeding his winger for the score.
Andy Gomarsall replaced Perry at half-time and Montgomery had enough time to kick his side into a 23-0 lead before Kay's nadir. That lead became 26-0 in the 55th minute. South Africa established field position after Robinson threw a poor pass out of the tackle - a blight on an otherwise comparatively strong display. In a flurry of bench activity, Lewis Moody and George Chuter replaced Tom Rees and the woeful Mark Regan respectively, while Habana made way for Ruan Pienaar for South Africa. Sadly for England, Habana was to return after treatment later on, but not before Robinson was replaced after suffering a wincingly conspicuous hamstring injury whilst on the attack. The only try-scorer from England's victorious night in Sydney in 2003 received a standing ovation from the Red Rose sector of the crowd, but looks to have played his last competitive rugby match in a career of which he can be truly proud.
To add insult to injury, South Africa notched up their third try after more
superb work from du Preez allowed the scrum-half to feed Pietersen who
completed his brace in simple fashion on the right. Montgomery added the
extras as the Springbok back three continued a prolific evening in attack to
complement their languorous showing in defence. Something about that score seemed to spark the most fleeting of revivals in England; a quick line-out, some smart offloading, a break through midfield from Kay. Minutes later a kick from Farrell saw Mathew Tait, on for Robinson, taken out in the air to earn England a penalty, but like the previous moment of overdue urgency, a basic error allowed South Africa to clear. Every last one of the South African back division was to execute a telling kick for position at some point during the match, a testament to their consistency and unrelenting pressure, thrown into sharp relief by England. Why had we sat through 65 minutes of turgid dross before this albeit benign show of impetus?
To the aforementioned insult and injury were added injury and insult, in
that order. Montgomery completed the rout with one final penalty goal after
Jamie Noon was carried off with a suspected medial ligament injury.
I did not listen to Brian Ashton's post-match interview. I did not listen to
Martin Corry's. Nor will I read anything they have to say in the media on
the subject of this abject dressing down of the nominal world champions. The only thing worse than excuses is the truth. Only one team on the planet
considers a crash ball from Mike Catt to be a productive called move. Only
one back line in the world displays such a perfunctory attitude to its
duties off the ball. Only one International side could be so stubborn and
self-righteous to kick and kick and kick against rugby's equivalent of a
team of mules. Asking questions of this result seems futile; attempting to
find positives like finding a Cornetto in a rubbish bin. Even if you find
one, you're going to buy a new one instead, and maybe that is what we should do - tear it all down and start again.
I will find solace in watching Wasps this afternoon, boasting a team with an
average age of 24. By the end of the weekend I will hopefully be even more
enamoured of the pool of precocious talent that Ashton left at home and,
providing Samoa beat Tonga on Sunday, England will be fourth in Pool A of the Rugby World Cup 2007. And don't think it isn't exactly what they
deserve.
England (0)
South Africa (20) 36
Tries: Smith, Pietersen 2
Cons: Montgomery 3
Pens: Montgomery 4, Steyn
England: Robinson; Sackey, Noon, Farrell, Lewsey; Catt, Perry; Sheridan,
Regan, Stevens; Shaw, Kay; Corry (capt), Rees, Easter.
Replacements: Chuter, Freshwater, Borthwick, Moody, Gomarsall, Richards,
Tait.
South Africa: Montgomery; Pietersen, Fourie, Steyn, Habana; James, Du Preez;
Du Randt, Smit (capt), BJ Botha, Bakkies Botha, Matfield, Van Heerden,
Smith, Rossouw.
Replacements: Du Plessis, Van der Linde, Muller, Skinstad, Pienaar,
Pretorius, Olivier.
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