RWC 2011 Quarter Final Preview - Australia v South Africa | Thebigtip

It is a marquee quarter final. A game worthy of the semis, if not the grand final itself.  Unfortunately, on Sunday one of the powerhouses of world rugby will find themselves battered and bruised, their World Cup dream in tatters. Whether that team is Jake de Villiers’s Springboks or Robbie Deans’ Wallabies even they couldn’t tell you. These two sides are difficult to separate, simply because they are so different. The Africans favour a confrontational style, stemming from their hugely imposing forward pack and the goal-kicking prowess of first five-eighth, Morne Steyn.

The men from Down Under, however, inhabit the other end of the spectrum. They own a star-studded backline full of dynamic playmakers and skilful attacking footballers, but are let down by a pack which is not as dominant as you might expect from one of the world’s leading sides.

Form Guide: Australia WLWW (most recent result first)

The Wallabies came to New Zealand with their confidence riding high after topping the Tri Nations for the first time in a decade. For all that, they started slowly against Italy in their opening match, but found their feet in the second forty to leave the Azzuri for dead. That game proved to be the pride before the fall, as the next weekend they suffered a tournament-altering loss to an Irish outfit buoyed by the generous support of a raucous Auckland crowd. Once the dust had settled, they duly completed wins over minnows USA and Russia without ever looking wholly convincing.

Form Guide: South Africa WWWW

The Boks faced one of the tougher assignments straight off the bat, meeting a much improved Welsh side in round one. They managed a narrow escape on that occasion thanks to a controversial refereeing decision and a try to super-sub Francois Hougaard in the dying minutes. The middle stages featured two one-sided whoopings against Fiji and their amateur neighbours from Namibia, before Samoa pushed them all the way in a bruising encounter to round out Pool D.

Key Players

Openside flanker, David Pocock is probably the Australian forward opposition teams fear most. He is among the top fetchers in world rugby and his work at the breakdown will be vital to the Wallabies’ chances. If he can win quality ball Will Genia, Cooper and co. can set free their talented backline and run the Boks ragged.

Another key figure for Aussie is wing-turned-kicker, James O’Connor. He found himself in Dingo Deans’ bad books after sleeping through a team photo shoot during the Tri Nations and was dropped from the side. He has since returned. However, his form– which had been prolific beforehand – has not. He will need to be on song , in general play and with the boot, if his side are to progress.

For South Africa, the experience of veteran second rower, Victor Matfield will be critical. He is a monster of a man with a huge work rate, and even at 34 and with over 100 tests behind him, he is among the most secure sources of lineout ball going around. The Boks will look to him to get their set pieces going and provide them with the sort of structured play they most enjoy.

The Springbok’s captain and hooker is a man under pressure. It is felt by many that he is no longer the number one rake in South Africa and that he holds his place in the starting fifteen only because de Villiers holds him in such high regard as a leader. He must put in a stellar effort on Sunday, because Bismarck Du Plessis has provided compelling evidence for inclusion in his recent appearances for the national team.

Verdict

Knockout rugby is more often won by a tight forward battle than it is by open and expansive play. This is the sort of game the South African pack revel in. They will look to win plenty of ball, gain territory, force mistakes and trust Steyn’s metronomic right boot for the rest. No prizes for guessing who my money’s on.