white hot heat of World Cup knock-out rugby

MIKE GREENAWAY IN WELLINGTON

The Boks’ vast experience in the white hot heat of World Cup knock-out rugby will be invaluable to them reckons captain John Smit in Sunday’s quarter-final against youthful Australia, and what has happened in the recent past between the teams will have little relevance on the sudden-death stage.

The Big Three of the Springboks – Smit, Victor Matfield and coach Peter de Villiers – fronted a massive international press contingent this morning, probably the first time the heavyweights have done so together, and that in itself reflected the sudden intensifying of the World Cup spotlight now that 24 teams have shrunk to eight.

“One thing is for sure the real World Cup starts now,” Smit smiled. “The tournament is clearly divided into two stages, and we have now proceeded to a different level altogether. I well recall the same shift four years ago, and it goes up exponentially each week until the final in a reflection of just how much is at stake.”

The Wallabies have a much younger squad than the Springboks and far less of their players have been involved in World Cup knock-out games – most of the Wallabies players that lost in the 2007 quarter-final to England have retired.

“It is a different kind of rugby to the Tri-Nations,” Smit said. “We have a lot of guys that have been there before, and we will be careful to exploit as much of that experience as we can. It is about being able to take the heat as much as possible and remaining composed with regard to what you want to achieve. Your game plan will differ according to your opposition, the weather conditions, developments in your own team (injuries) – there will be so many diff scenarios and it can only benefit us to have guys that over the last 10 years have experienced all the possible scenarios.”

Smit said that a positive sign was the nerves he was feeling on the Monday of the quarter-final

‘I have been trying to get rid of the butter flies for 110 tests but they don’t want to fly away,” he laughed. “And that is a good thing because pressure is what makes the game so beautiful and what creates some special performances. Without nerves you don’t reach the top of the game, so there will be nerves among all our guys, while the guys that have not been to a World Cup are also going to feel a whole new vibe this week, and it is how you deal with the nerves and the vibe that will be to your advantage or disadvantage.”

It was put to Smit that playing the Wallabies would not be a bad thing, even though they twice beat the Boks this year, because it is case of better the devil you know.

“It is tough one. We have not done well against them over the last two years, they are one up on us, but we know their players better than most, and nice to know that you have faced them before and there are no secrets, even if they are a very good side.

“The Wallabies will feel they have a mental edge over us because of recent results but we have thrown a few mixed selections on them and will view this game as a fresh start in terms of where we want to go over next three weeks,” Smit continued. “And they will look at building on what they achieved against us recently, so it is two different mindsets.”

Smit, however, points out that home and away games in the Tri-Nations are a different kettle of fish to a sudden-death World Cup match

“They are not going to fool themselves and rely on what they have done before the World Cup and we are not going to fool ourselves and look back on what has not been done. Each will look back at what they did in the month of Pool matches, work on the negatives, polish up the positives and put it all together on Sunday.”

MIKE GREENAWAY IN WELLINGTON