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Presumably you don't watch SA often as they've been pretty expansive this year with Mannie at 10.
They will however bring Pollard back in for knockout rugby and go back to their strengths. Plus they know how to win WCs after losing pool games.
Ireland are very good, I just get the feeling that this game has been their focus for years and they may take their eyes off NZ.
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I disagree. Ireland have been planning for this world cup specifically for the last 12/13 years. The amount of investment They've out into academies and grass roots is not matched anywhere in the world. They've only been planning for tonight's game for the last two and a half. Remember it wasn't that long ago they took the tour series away from a NZ team stronger than the one that's come to this WC, on their home turf.
If RSA bring Pollard back in for kicking duties, they will show they're panicking and have to rejig their entire back line play that they've been prepping for a WC with. The bigger problem they have is they've lost Marx. They're now left with a 2 that normally has to play 20min at most. The bomb squad pushed over a couple of scrums but still couldn't really boss a team that is not necessarily known for their outright physicality. Even the final play of the game was a nearly all in maul that Ireland managed to snuff out to kill the game.
I've watched a lot of rugby this WC. No other team holds a candle to either side that played tonight.
Saffronspokes
stevo_com
England won the WC with 14 grunts and a kicker, SA are trying to win it with nothing but grunts, and you can't do that. Really expected they'd beat us tonight, brutal, but we made it and haven't (hopefully) lost many players.
Still have nightmares of the decades of being pushed around by England when our scrum was basically John fucking Hayes. Standing square with this SA side makes the heart swell.
Plenty of time to get ready for Scotland, looks like we're solid to get out of the group.