“Actions speak louder than words”, as the old saying goes. Well, that most definitely applies to the Springboks ahead of their crunch World Cup match against Samoa tomorrow.
Last week’s loss to Japan was quite rightly described as the biggest upset in the history of rugby and one of sport’s all-time great shocks. The fallout was just as big, with the Springboks the butt of many jokes on social media platforms.
Coach Heyneke Meyer and many of the players apologised repeatedly to the nation in the aftermath of the defeat and promised that the team would bounce back.
Meyer has always said the players he wants for the World Cup must show the determination of warriors. Against Japan there weren’t a lot of warriors on the field when the going got tough.
Meyer has made eight changes for tomorrow’s match against Samoa to try and get their campaign back on track. And many big-name Springboks will be under huge pressure to perform, especially captain Jean de Villiers and long-time lineout kingpin Victor Matfield.
It is a bit concerning that Meyer is now talking of reverting to safety-first, conservative tactics, because a team needs more than just fierce defence and tactical kicking to win a World Cup.
Nevertheless, despite the bitter disappointment of last week, Bok fans will once again be behind the team tomorrow. South Africans are passionate about their sport, and that is why so many people vented their frustrations after the loss against Japan. They did so out of love for the team.
South Africans want to see the Boks bounce back and go on a fairy-tale journey to lift the William Webb-Ellis trophy. And it’s up to the 23 players tomorrow to start that journey.
This week, a number of senior Boks, including veteran wing Bryan Habana, have apologised and said they want to make the country proud again and put a smile on the faces of their fans. As we said, actions speak louder than words. Meyer’s boys must show us their bite matches their bark.