From No. 3 in the world, South Africa slid down to No. 6 in the rankings following an earth-shaking 34-32 loss at the hands of massive underdog, Japan. Now clutching a 0-1 record in group play, the Springboks look to prevent further embarrassment when they take on No. 10 Samoa. Samoa opened its World Cup campaign with a morale-boosting win over No. 16 USA.
Will South Africa bounce back with a big win? Or will Samoa duplicate Japan’s feat by defeating the two-time champions?
Read on for a brief rundown of this matchup. You can also click here for an overview of New Zealand vs. vs. Namibia.
[sc:Other240banner ]All is not lost for the Springboks despite getting stunned by Japan in their first game of the tournament. Fortunately for them, the loss came early, as South Africa remains the overwhelming favorite to top Group D with odds of -300.
In all fairness to Japan, which deserved the victory, the Springboks looked tired during the game. They didn’t play like the 43.5-point favorites that they were. The Springboks can’t afford to give up early points against an arguably tougher opponent in Samoa. Otherwise, they’ll just pump up Manu Samoa’s confidence akin to what happened in the Japan contest.
The ‘Boks scored more tries than Japan (4-3), but their inability to limit their penalties ultimately doomed them as the Brave Blossoms went 5 of 6 on penalty goals. On the flipside, South Africa was just 2 of 2.
With that said, the pressure is definitely on for the vastly experienced South African side to lead the team. Prior to the tournament, the Springboks count 880 total test caps between all of their players, including team captain Jean de Villiers, who goaded the seniors of his team afterwards to step up their play moving forward. That group includes hooker Bismarck du Plessis, who made his mark right from the get-go with a try.
Dating back to 1993, the Springboks have gone 5-0 in their last five international games against Samoa.
Unlike South Africa, the Manu Samoa didn’t fall victims to an underdog last week, as they defeated the United States, 25-16. Currently priced at +650, Samoa moves on to play their next game against a world power, albeit one that’s coming off a shocking upset loss.
Against the Eagles, Samoa got a big boost from the excellent performances of Tim Nanai-Williams and Ofisa Treviranus, who each scored a try. Seeing Treviranus score right away for Samoa is a good sign for the Islanders, as the London Irish forward is among those expected to carry the scoring cudgels for the team. So far in his international career, Treviranus has picked up 10 points, both coming off from the try zone.
Tusi Pisi, meanwhile, was the difference maker in Samoa’s win over USA, as the fly-half and goal-kicker made 12 points—all coming from penalty kicks.
With that said, expect Pisi to play a pivotal role in the matchup against South Africa. After all, the Springboks have allowed Japan to score lots of points off penalty kicks in their first game.
