Surging Scots to Muddy Springboks’ World Cup Waters

A surging Scotland side will make the Springboks’ bid to retain the Webb Ellis Cup that much more difficult when the World Cup comes around in France in September, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

All the focus of South Africa’s World Cup title defence has been on the expected Pool B decider against Ireland, who cemented their status as the world’s number one team with an impressive 32-19 win over a France team who’d won 14 straight in Dublin at the weekend. 

The winner of the September 23rd clash in Paris will in all probability go on to play the runners-up of Pool A in the quarterfinals. That’ll either be hosts France or three-time winners New Zealand, who kick off the global showpiece in the biggest way possible on 8 September. 

However, the men in green and gold’s tournament-opening assignment against Scotland in Marseille on 10 September suddenly looms large after the Scots’ stunning start to the Six Nations that saw them back up a famous 29-23 triumph over England at Twickenham, which completed a first Calcutta Cup hat-trick since 1972, with a record 35-7 rout of Wales at Murrayfield last Saturday. 

With their dazzling heroics over the past fortnight, Scotland have soared to an all-time high fifth place in the world rankings, directly behind the Springboks, and sent an indirect message to the defending champions that they’re not to be overlooked and that Pool B, rounded off by Tonga and Romania, is well and truly the pool of death. 

Gregor Townsend has instilled belief in his charges, transforming them from also-rans into brave-hearts with cohesion as well as x-factor in abundance. It’s not the French but the Scots who’ve displayed the greatest flair in this year’s Six Nations. Townsend affords his troops just enough of a license to thrill to keep the opposition guessing at all times without falling into the trap of tactical naivety. 

That trust in his players’ decision-making and skill has worked a treat and with game-breakers like Duane van der Merwe and Finn Russell, why wouldn’t it? The former immortalised himself with THAT wonder try against England, the first of two on the night, while the latter produced a masterclass of attacking flyhalf play against Wales.

At his playmaking peak, red-hot Russell created four of Scotland’s five tries. He teed up Kyle Steyn twice, first with an audacious chicken wing offload followed by a pinpoint crosskick, lobbed a chip to Van der Merwe that resulted in a try for Blair Kinghorn and put Matt Fagerson in with a clever looping pass.

Crucially, Scotland are style AND substance. They’re not all flash. Their substance, namely their gutsy, hard-working pack, kept them in the fight against England, which allowed Van der Merwe to score the late match-winning try, and this will be vital against the brutal Springboks. 

Siya Kolisi and company won’t give Russell the time on the ball he was gifted by the Dragons, so Scotland’s unheralded but settled and solid pack will have to hold their own against the big and powerful Springbok forwards to stay in the hunt so that a moment of magic might seal an upset. 

A lot of rugby still has to be played before the World Cup. However, Scotland have made it clear that they’ll be a tough test…a much tougher one than Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber probably thought three weeks ago.  

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.