Having survived the group of death that is Pool B as runners up to Australia, Wales now focuses its attention on a battle against South Africa for a quarterfinal matchup at Twickenham. South Africa, on the other hand, managed to reach this far in the 2015 Rugby World Cup despite a pie-in-the-face loss to Japan right out of the gate by mowing down Samoa, Scotland, and USA in consecutive and brutal fashion.
Will Wales be able to slay another giant? Or will South Africa continue its terrific form this coming Saturday?
Read on for a brief rundown of this matchup. You can also click here for an overview of Argentina vs. vs. Ireland.
[sc:Other240banner ]Despite falling to Australia, 15-6, in its previous game, Wales still booked a spot in the quarterfinals after placing second in Pool A. It won’t get any easier for the Dragons next game, as they’ll face yet another Rugby World Cup contender in South Africa.
Wales, however, wouldn’t be daunted by the opposition. After all, the Dragons have already tested by other powerhouses in England and Australia—both top 10 teams in the world.
Coach Warren Gatland’s men were left without a try in the loss to Australia, with fly-half Dan Biggar producing all of Wales’ six points off penalty kicks. Biggar is the Dragons’ top scorer, as he currently has 42 points so far in this tournament. Gatland is hoping that Gareth Davies will deliver the goods against South Africa. Davis is tied for second in the tournament with four tries.
The pressure for Biggar and Davis to perform against England to carry Wales is greatly highlighted by the rash of injuries to the Dragons’ side. Wales is suffering from a bevy of injuries, with its backline hit the most, as Hallam Amos, Scott Williams, and Cory Allen are all out.
If Wales, however, need any more reasons to believe that it can take down the two-time tournament champions, the Dragons can think of that time when the Springboks were shot down by lowly Japan early in the tournament.
Showing grit and determination following an embarrassing loss to Japan in their opening match, the Springboks stitched together three-straight victories to cop the top spot in Pool B and move on to the quarterfinal round, where Wales is plotting for an ambush.
It is one thing for the Dragons to find weak spots in South Africa’s form, however, and it’s another to exploit holes in the Springboks’ game. Considering Wales is coming into this knockout game undermanned, finding the in-goal area would be hard to come by for the Dragons against South Africa. That’s not to mention South Africa’s defense that has allowed just one try in the team’s last three games. Wales has mostly sourced points from penalty kicks (fifth in penalties scored with 12) so a disciplined approach is going to be key for the Springboks.
On offense, South Africa should be licking its chops at the prospect of attacking the Dragons’ injury-riddled squad. The Springboks finished the group stages second overall in the tournament in total points (176) and tries scored (23).
In South Africa’s latest show of force on offense, the Springboks metaphorically grabbed USA’s collar and threw the Americans out of the window in a 64-0 massacre at Olympic Stadium last Wednesday. Bryan Habana nailed a hat trick to move a five-pointer away from setting the tournament’s all-time record. Habana leads the 2015 RWC with five tries, while Francois Louw, Bismarck Du Plessis, and Schalk Burger have combined for seven tries.
