Sunday, 23rd September 2007 at 2:52 pm

Springboks go three from three

No, it wasn’t terribly pretty, shades of the Connacht warm-up game all too evident against another team of fired-up underdogs. But with a little help from the big name back-up on the bench, the Springboks are three from three, and on track for top spot in the group. So far, then, so good…

That the win over Tonga wasn’t perfect isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yes, the ‘B’ side doesn’t have the punch or panache of the first choice XV, but coming down to earth a touch after the waltz past England can’t hurt in the context of the whole tournament. And then there’s the though of England - awful against the USA, not much better against Samoa - having to face a make or break game with the Tongans for a place in the quarters.

That’s peripheral to the Springboks’ next few weeks, however; the final group game against the Americans precedes the real start of a tournament that’s shaping up promisingly. Forget the woeful Andre Pretorius, or the ultimately close call with Tonga - Jake White’s preferred XV is raring to go, with the only question left in the group stage being whether or not England can make the quarters. Feverpitcher has Tonga replica jersey waiting for the crunch game…