Opinion | Two try-fests before rugby’s real showdown

On paper there are not one, but two international rugby games almost demanding our attention this Friday afternoon and night: the All Blacks cheered on by their considerable support in Cape Town, by an Afrikaans-speaking and rugby loving, “so called Coloured” community that has still not forgotten, nor forgiven, the horrible injustice of racial suppression by the removal of their voting rights and apartheid’s forced removals from inner city District Six to the remote and desolate Cape Flats, and of course the infamous Immorality Act; to name but three of the inhumane injustices. However, the All Blacks hardly need crowd support to run riot over the Stormers, who play without their Bok players, such as Sacha, Reinach, Jason Dixon and their crown prince Paul de Villiers. Ironically the Stormers waved on by their blue flag waving fans, will play right into the hands of the All Blacks by playing a loose throw the ball around a la Warren Gelantly, type of game.

There is even talk of throwing young flyhalf –still under 20– Yakheen Ahmed into not only the deep end but icy cold as well Atlantic seaboard water. I hope not! Last week I predicted that these non test mid week games should not be confused with the tough as nails games on the genuine tours of yesteryear.I am afraid that it will be a case of a storm in a rooibos tea cup in Daniel’s den.

Meanwhile on Friday night we may well be able to drown our sorrows, as the Boks outclass the Pumas., minus ten of their regular starters who like Ruan van Heerden have club commitments and contractual obligations to fulfill in France. No matter how many times the wily Dr Rassie tells us how tough it is to beat Los Pumas in their pampas den, he is there to watch and manage the return to action of several stalwarts, named Siya, Eben and Lood in the forwards, and of course of the starting return of crown prince Sacha, alongside an awesome backline comprising Esterhuizen, Moodie, Hooker, as well as Fassi and a van der Merwe for good measure. Imagine making your debut against that backline!

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Not to mention that Pollard is on the bench if needed, and that young Hannekom may well revel in a running game and score a brace particularly if Sacha looks set to better the 37 points haul he scored against the full strength Pumas in Durban last year. Readers may recall that after a much improved game against Wales, I stated that Pollard had redeemed himself and predicted that he and Sacha may now play in tandem as it were, with one starting and the other finishing. Dr Rassie introduced the hybrid now comes the tandem two. Yet so many so called pundits are flapping about Manie, and who will start?

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