RWC 2015 Semi Final 1 New Zealand v South Africa

RWC 2015 Semi Finalists Stat Comparison Matrix

RWC 2015 SF1 Team Comparison: South Africa v New Zealand

RWC 2015 QF 1 South Africa v Wales

WC 2015 M31 South Africa v USA

RWC 2015 M25 South Africa v Scotland

RWC 2015 M15 South Africa v Samoa

2013 Rugby Championship - Round 1

The Rugby Championship 2012 - Round 6

The Rugby Championship 2012 – Round 5

The Rugby Championship 2012 - Round 4

The Rugby Championship 2012 - Round 3

The Rugby Championship 2012 - Round 2

Rugby Championship - South Africa v Argentina

South Africa v England - Second Test

Wallabies v Wales and Boks v England

2012 TESTS First Matches

Test Match Fever! Here we go ... a revised version of the graphic I did last week, now showing the (expected) walk on teams for all three of this weekend’s top tier Test matches: New Zealand v Ireland, Australia v Wales, and South Africa v England.

Each game has the starting XV lined up in their positions, and each player has their number of Test caps indicated so you can see just who is out of their depth (I’m looking at you Bradley Barritt!). Mind you, Sean ‘The Tullow Tank’ O’Brien is also up against Our Richie.

Check it out. Wallabies looking better than the team that lost to Scotland, but they better front, because this Welsh team is tight. Will teh Boks have enough class to take out a rebuilding and ever-confident England?

Predictions: I hate this bit, but ... NZ by 20 points, Wales by 7, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Boks by 15.

Jinx!

Quarter Final 3: South Africa v Australia

Quarter Finalist Preview: South Africa

Ferdy says:

The All Blacks main threat. This time last year without the likes of Brussouw and Du Preez they were pretty wretched. However, they’re once again nearly at full strength, and right in time for World Cup finals time too. Can they play attacking rugby? Not really. But the South African model is about gruelling defence and metronomic kicking at goal (and let’s face it, in the last two World Cups, that’s what has ‘brought home Bill’). They are missing one Steyn (the precocious Frans) but in Morne they will trust.

Will P-Divvy rule the roost or will he rue the day? You decide!

Ferdy’s pick: semi finalists.

Slugso says

South Africans like meat. And this weekend, Quade Cooper could be on the menu. The Boks stepped up their game during the pool, and though they carefully navigated their way through the so-called ‘Pool of Death’, they did so at times with uncharacteristic flair. I thought Frans Steyn at 12 was an inspired call on P Divvy’s part, it gave them real steel in defence and another playmaker on attack. Plus, the guy can nail penalties from 60+ metres out. Case closed, Good Night, Nurse.

But he is crocked and sipping cocktails with Carter, and that means they may slip back to a style that’s more ... pragmatic, shall we say (they may have done this anyway).

They are a great team, and I agree with Ferdy - they’re the All Blacks’ biggest, toughest, most complete threat. I think they have the team to suffocate and smash the Wallabies over 80 minutes, but it won’t be a walkover. Aplon, du Preez, Hougaard, Fourie, Morne Steyn, Jean de Villiers, Habana, JP Pietersen .. wow, they have the backs. We know what their forwards can do.

Slugso reckons: Boks by 10+

Pool D: South Africa v Samoa