Wednesday, 22nd August 2007 at 11:35 am

Springboks stutter in Connacht

Tank Lanning, the former Western Province prop, confidently predicted an 85-point victory for the Springboks in last night’s warm-up game - and he’s something of an expert on the game. Most people were expecting a gentle, Namibia-style romp past the rural also-rans of Irish rugby; instead, at a club ground in front of a Boland-Griquas sized crowd, Connacht came within a couple of lucky bounces of causing a serious upset.

Not that Connacht are a bad side - they have some shrewd Australian acquisitions, a number of experienced players, and a healthy appetite for big challenges. But a listless Springbok display - one could almost be forgiven for thinking that the majority of players were terrified of hurting themselves before the World Cup - aided the Connacht cause significantly, and the Irish provincial team were far closer to their more celebrated opponents than a 15-point margin suggests.

So a little work for the squad to do this week, running straight and not sideways being chief amongst the discrepancies on Tuesday night. A different side will play Scotland, and perhaps more vaunted opposition, coupled with the Connacht scare, will inspire a more coherent approach from a team gunning for at least a place in the World Cup final. Feverpitcher won’t read too much into one warm-up game - but we’re fervently hoping the matches to come will show us a very different brand of Springbok rugby.