Being a fan of the Springboks is tough.
Little confession; I had to start mentally preparing myself for Saturday’s World Cup final as soon as the final whistle blew against Wales last Sunday.
Judging by our performance in that match, there wasn’t much to be optimistic about against an England team that simply annihilated the All Blacks the day before.
The Bok fan in me wants to believe that the English simply can’t repeat that performance a week after that match.
The realist in me says they’ve set the bar and in coach Eddie Jones, they have a mentor that will demand more.
MENTOR: Eddie Jones will expect more from his players after their win against New Zealand. Picture: Mark Baker/AP.
After playing both matches over and over in my head, my conclusion was that the Boks must attack England’s breakdown.
For that to happen, I reckoned coach Rassie Erasmus’s best bet was to bring in Malcolm Marx for Bongi Mbonambi and Francois Louw for captain Siya Kolisi.
The latter suggestion in a final wouldn’t have been an option, but we all know Flouw adds a bit more in terms of slowing down opposition ball.
With Ben Youngs being a tortoise to the breakdown, I felt this was the way to disrupt England’s momentum.
BACK IN ACTION: Cheslin Kolbe, center, will be in action in the final of the Rugby World Cup. Picture: Christophe Ena/AP.
Erasmus, though, only brought back Cheslin Kolbe to his team and stuck to his guns for the final.
What that shows is that the Boks are confident in their plan and don’t really fear England to the point where they will make benoude team choices.
Erasmus is in control - his team selection shows that. As for my prediction?
The realist is telling me the Boks need a miracle to win. The fan in me says ‘back your boytjies, back the plan’ and the trophy will come home. Having taken both into account, I’m going for 17-12 in favour of the Boks!