Monday, 27th August 2007 at 10:04 pm

Springboks: now for the real deal

If the Connacht game was a sinking disappointment, then the win over a strong Scotland side was just the tonic South African rugby needed before the World Cup gets underway. The Scots might not be amongst the favourites in France, but a win over Ireland had shown them to be tough opponents, and they’d spent enough time in the gym to give the first choice Springboks a good physical challenge.

A positive end to the warm-up window, then, and one that has lifted the national mood substantially; there’s only so much to be read into that, however, as the actual tournament will lift the stakes substantially, and with it the intensity of every game. Jake White is well aware of that, and has deliberately brought his squad back home for a break, ahead of a definitive tournament for local rugby. Win the World Cup, and the current squad may well get to stay together post-tournament; stumble, however, and the rugby landscape could look very different in the aftermath of France.

All of which simply adds a further dimension to a tournament that’s already swept most of South Africa up; less than a fortnight to go until the opening match, and World Cup fever is rampant. They might be on a break, but there’ll still be a nervous energy sweeping through the Springbok squad ahead of their departure for France this weekend; Feverpitcher has to confess to feeling much the same.