The Springboks’ challenge was ended by a 20-18 defeat to New Zealand in the semi-finals on Saturday, bringing the curtain down on a campaign that began with a humiliating defeat to Japan.
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“I’m here to serve and everything that I worry about is to get my team right on track and to focus on the next game, so you must ask that to SA Rugby”.
For the veteran Victor Matfield, 38, and captain Fourie du Preez – who suffered a broken tooth and swollen eye – the World Cup is probably the end of the worldwide road.
While there were unconfirmed reports earlier this year that Meyer was already secure in his job before the tournament got underway his suggestion, when the question came up again, phrased slightly differently, that it was the South African rugby union who needed to answer the question, seemed to indicate that he did not think so and he hinted earlier in the competition that he had come close to summary dismissal following his team’s defeat by Japan in their opening game. “I think we’ve got great players here, I think if you look at the squad is a very young squad, with four or five old players but it’s very young squad”.
I said at half time that I felt the All Blacks would win as long as they stayed in the South African half, and generally that was what they were able to do.
My misgivings about Meyer, even back then though, revolved around the coach’s lack of experience in coaching the style of rugby that he was preaching, and which he continued to preach up until his team lost to Argentina at Kings Park in August. “It’s hard to say with regards to the coach”, Matfield said.
This is World Cup play-off rugby and it’s not flashy.
He added that he is very proud of the team’s performance.
“I think it is not that far, it is inches”.
The All Blacks coach Steve Hansen also congratulated the Springboks saying, “It’s a pity someone has to go out after a game like that”.
Meyer said that he takes full responsibility after they were knocked out of the Rugby World Cup.
Meyer said the buck stops with him.
“I’ve to take the loss on the chin”. All credit to the All Blacks, I don’t have any excuses I gave everything I’ve tried of, everything I’ve got but wasn’t good enough. But again I’ll never be satisfied with losing any games.
As we discussed whether Lancaster had any chance of surviving he said he was not a head coach and I replied that neither was Woodward, before asking him how many of them had gone back and looked at what they had written when, the then coach having demanded that he be judged on that tournament, his England side had been drubbed by South Africa in the quarter-finals in 1999.
“That makes me really excited for the future of rugby in South Africa”.
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There were plenty of good bits in the All Blacks game, especially the lineout, which managed to knick a few against the throw, and for the most part their scrum was solid… those penalties at scrum time are so 50-50, especially when you’re going forward.
