Bryan Habana said the fact South Africa have effectively being playing knockout rugby for most of the World Cup will stand them in good stead when they face Wales in the quarter-finals at Twickenham on Saturday.
Two-time champions South Africa suffered a stunning 34-32 defeat against Japan in their opening group match — one of the all-time great upsets — but bounced back with three straight wins, including last week’s 64-0 thrashing of the US, to finish top of Pool B.
“To be brutally honest, after that Japan loss, every game has been a play off for us,” Springbok great Habana told reporters on Monday.
Photo: Reuters
“It’s been a tournament of quite a few highs and lows for us, but when we get to Saturday each and every team will be on zero,” the 32-year-old wing, a World Cup-winner in 2007, said. “It’s the knockout stage of the competition, where if you lose now, you go home within 24 hours.”
Wales, who have only beaten the Springboks twice, won the teams’ most recent encounter, a 12-6 victory in Cardiff last year.
An injury-hit Wales lost 15-6 to Australia on Saturday, although both sides had already qualified for the quarter-finals.
“We have much respect for what Wales have achieved with a lot of injuries,” Habana said. “We all know Saturday is going to be a tough one.”
One more try for Habana will see him surpass New Zealand great Jonah Lomu’s World Cup record of 15 in what will be the South African star’s 115th Test.
Habana said topping Lomu’s World Cup tally would not change his opinion of the All Blacks flyer.
“I don’t think I can ever compare myself to Jonah Lomu... It only took him two tournaments to get to that record,” Habana said.
No side has ever won the World Cup after losing a pool game, but Habana said that while the current Springboks might lack the “smooth run-in” enjoyed by the 2007 team, they could yet end up lifting the Webb Ellis trophy.
“I think after that first week and that shock loss against Japan, we had to stand up and be counted and instil some pride back in the jersey,” he said.
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