AUCKLAND (AP) ― The Rugby World Cup is down to eight teams, with no surprises among the quarterfinalists and the stage set for a Northern Hemisphere vs. Southern Hemisphere final.
Defending champion South Africa will face Australia at Wellington on Sunday night. The meeting, between the only two-time World Cup winners, hadn’t been expected until Ireland beat the Wallabies on Sept. 17.
“One thing’s for sure,” Springboks captain John Smit said Monday, “the real World Cup starts this week.”
Ireland plays Wales in Wellington on Saturday. England and France meet later that night in Auckland, on the eve of the Southern Hemisphere double-header involving top-ranked New Zealand against 2007 semifinalist Argentina and No. 2-ranked Australia against No. 3 South Africa.
The Springboks have lost at home and away to Australia this year, and are coming off a 13-5 win over Samoa in a brutal encounter that ended the tournament for Francois Steyn. That’s a big setback for a team trying to become the first back-to-back World Cup champion.
“Pressure’s what makes the game beautiful and what creates some special performances,” Smit said. “Without those nerves I don’t think you ever quite reach the top of the game,” Smit said.
Australia has one of the least experienced squads at the World Cup. But for all its pre-cup exploits ― winning the Tri-Nations title for the first time in a decade with a deciding win over New Zealand ― it now must contend with a big and experienced Springboks team.
Australia captain James Horwill said his team had been more or less playing finals rugby since its loss to Ireland.
“After the Irish game, every game was a knockout game for us,” Horwill said.
