What makes this bok team so satisfying to support is that they see the Red as an opportunity to do something legendary.
You can trust that whatever hole they find themselves in, the Doc, his Irish drinking buddies, our pet Kiwi, Sticky & the conditioning guys are back there coming up with a strategy that gives us a chance. You guys are now getting an abject lesson in how frustrating it is to play in or support a team which not only can’t problem solve in realtime doesn’t even realize it ought to be trying to (which has been the default for Bok coaching teams since Mallet got the chop.)
Helps that we’ve also got players who have the skills, cunning and often just raw guts to take that chance.
Which was why it was so cool to see the Coaches besides themselves with joy on the sideline as the Boks slid the dagger in.
I’ve no doubt that it’s not a coincidence that our scrummies scored tries off edge snipes. Or that after about 20 minutes in the second half in which the Boks reverted to QF midrange bombs all of sudden Siya & Eben were on their feet yelling at their mates that the Bleus were fucked, couldn’t take the pace so it was time to turn up the heat.
Most of all, it was awesome that Sasha’s try came off a reverse of a set up that looked exactly like Eben’s try from the QF (and which the boks used in the first half which the French snuffed out by getting more forwards round the corner faster than the boks.)
As Carwyn James loved telling his players: It’s a thinking man’s game, boyos. Sure Carwyn but it helps if you’ve got big nuts and bigger props.