The Springboks have joined New Zealand in becoming the second team to retain a Rugby World Cup title, the first to have done it in two successive tournaments away from their home territory, and they will go to the sport’s next global showpiece events having been champions for eight years.
It’s a time for joyful celebration in SA right now, and no-one who ever doubted the unifying qualities of sport can continue to deny it after the scenes that have played out over the country not only this past weekend, but also in the two big play-off weeks building up to it. I am not sure if there are cardiologists who profited from the stress the Boks put their supporters through but it wouldn’t be a surprise if there were.
There is a narrative that followed the Boks over the fortnight of the knock-out phase of the World Cup and that has persisted after the final that will irritate many SA fans, but that may prove beneficial to those of us who have the future of the sport at heart.
I am referring to the way many in the overseas rugby public have debated and criticised decisions made by referees and TMOs they felt may have aided the Boks. There’s plenty of irony in that, because overseas people accuse South Africans of blaming the referees too much, but then those of us who read the English media will know that hypocrisy is as much a trait in that country as whingeing is.
To illustrate that last point, the England team were praised a week ago for being heroic when kicking the ball 41 times in losing their semifinal to the Boks. When the Boks, realising they needed to play to the conditions, did something similar in the final by kicking 38 times they were slammed by some of those same writers and commentators for lacking ambition.
It is clear there is just so much antipathy to the Boks, probably because of attitudes to Rassie Erasmus, that no matter what they do there will be negativity and excuses.
Becoming focus
But those who read this column regularly will know the number of cards and the general officiating mishmash that has arisen out of the drive to make the game safer has long been a hobbyhorse and cause of concern.
Hallelujah, at last that appears to be becoming a general focus of the global rugby media as well as the rugby public at large, and it has become even more so in the wake of a global final in which four cards were dished out — one red and three yellow.
I disagree that the red shown to All Black captain Sam Cane automatically cost his team the game. Sometimes a card can galvanise a team, and the Boks were bossing the game when Cane was shown red.
According to a mate who played soccer for Bafana, there were many occasions when teams he was playing against suddenly lifted a level when they were reduced to 10 men. It is the same in rugby. England won convincingly against Argentina in the first round of this RWC playing with 14 men for most of the game, and there are many other examples, such as a historic win scored by the Sharks against the Crusaders in Christchurch in 2014.
What a red card can do is put extra pressure on the opposing team, who know they have been thrust into a position in which they are expected to win, while releasing pressure on the red carded player’s team, who then feel they can go for broke.
It was because they had gambled in selection, but the Bongi Mbonambi injury that turned the Bok line-out into a mess also offset the Cane card, plus the Boks were also down to 14 for half of the second half.
Slight sloppiness
But the Cane card did take just a little gloss off the Bok win, while also giving Bok detractors an excuse to fall back on. It will remain a talking point for some time, as will the fact that Siya Kolisi, for what some felt was an identical misdemeanour, was allowed to return to the field after 10 minutes in the bin.
Though there was a difference, it was so technical that you can’t blame those who don’t see it. While the letter of the law was correctly followed in both instances, having the two players removed from the field for acts of slight sloppiness, at worst, rather than malicious intent, was ridiculous.
Surely now that cards have blighted a World Cup final the sport’s governing body will now see the error of their ways and stop the madness. As many in the comments sections of UK newspapers appear to agree, there does need to be a conversation over where all the cards are taking the sport.
If the debate over cards after an epic final serves as a wake-up to World Rugby that they cannot continue on their path, it won’t be a moment too soon. People invest much time, emotion and money in supporting the sport, and the shower of cards that affects games undermines rugby.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.