by Scott Ingleton
When you support a team, you become emotionally invested. You learn about them, listen to their stories, and you care whether they do well or not. If they win, you feel exuberant and on top of the world. If they lose, you feel like you failed the team, thinking if there is something you could of done to change the outcome; “Did I wear the right jersey? Could I have gone to a different bar?” And so on. Of course, only the men on the pitch and their support staff actually affect the outcome, and it is a bitter pill to swallow to say that England were thoroughly outclassed by an exceptional South African team. They had a clear gameplan, were well drilled, disciplined, and great to watch.
The South African has always been a force to be reckoned with. Even though they were 20 kg lighter than the English Pack the South African forwards had a solid platform from which to lay a solid attack through the backs. Aside from one instance in the second half the scrum of the Boks was superb. They dominated the English forwards and played with the strength and passion of the Rainbow Nation behind them. As Bok Captain Siya Kolisi said in his post match interview, the victory echoed that of 1995, with the country divided and needing a unifying event. However, the victory itself was more reminiscent of the victory in 2007. A close kicking game with neither side able to really take the lead, but South Africa always looking more comfortable.
The cracks in the English gameplan started very early. Losing Kyle Sinckler was a huge blow to Jones’ plan. While Dan Cole is an exceptional player, his scrummaging has not got quite the same level of aggression as Sinckler’s, a desperately needed addition against the Bok scrum full of fire. After Sinckler left the field, the team looked disheveled. Youngs was overthrowing fairly easy passes, Ford and Farrell we’re running into one another’s lanes, Tuilagi was decidedly shut down and nothing seemed to going the way of the Roses. Even when camped on the South African try line for almost six minutes in the first half, England just couldn’t find the line. After many pick-and-gos, mostly by the Vunipola brothers, England tried to ship it out to the opposite wing, their only prize being a penalty for Farrell to kick over. As such, seven potential points become only three. All that work for little reward does have an effect on the morale of the team, and England just never seemed to have their gameplan fully together.
Let’s take a look at the statistics. England had more possession, beat more defenders, offloaded more, made almost 50% more passes and runs than South Africa. But, as with the rest of the game, it was all much effort for little reward. England ran 201 metres in 123 runs, meaning on average they gained less than 2 metres every time they ran the ball. South Africa, on the other hand, made 369 metres in 89 runs, averaging over four metres every run. The difference may seem little, but when it takes five runs to make 20 metres it’s much easier on the team, rather than it taking Ren runs for equal distance. Every Bok run was more of a charge, a blazing burst of pace and power determined to move the opposition back. Every English run, on the other hand, was often met with the same intensity as the Boks ran, not allowing England to gain much – if any – ground. England just couldn’t match the intensity South Africa brought to the match.
Had England gone for the corner more often with their penalties, perhaps we would have seen a different game. England played to South Africa’s strengths by conceding silly penalties (look at Watson’s check on Mapimpi) and by constantly chasing the game. The English lineout is generally superb, and should be the main platform from which to send the electric pace of Tuilagi and May off towards the opposition 22. But instead, we saw a kicking a scrummaging game, one we haven’t seen England play all tournament. They allowed themselves to be controlled and dominated by the brilliant Boks, and thus the cup was lost.
As much as England’s performance was flawed, it should take nothing away from a truly deserving and exceptional Springbok side. Every player left everything they had on that pitch – De Klerk was everywhere, Etzebeth was a monster of a gain line hunter, Kolisi led from the front and seemed to hit as many rucks as there were minutes, Pollards kicking from hand was spot on, Mapimpi was a constant threat on the wing and both he and the pure talent that is Cheslin Kolbe certainly deserved their tries. They were awesome and they turned up to the final in style, giving the world the first black Springbok captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
This tournament has been fascinating to watch. We’ve seen the rise of the Cherry Blossoms to tier one status, we’ve seen a sharp decline in Scottish rugby, a dominant New Zealand dismantled, “that” French team turned up and lost when truly they deserved to win, a plucky Welsh side picked off by the ultimate champions South Africa, and a nerve wracking campaign by the English only to end in heartbreak. But it is far better to be heartbroken at second place than emotionally empty after an exit in the group stages. England have looked strong, composed, and not just a little bit lucky. The team is young and will continue to grow and improve, hopefully maintaining their place near the top of the rankings. For me, France 2023 cannot come soon enough.