Jake White could not help taking a swipe at Tri-Nations rivals Australia and New Zealand after his Springboks scraped into the World Cup semi-finals on a tough win over Fiji.
Hot favorite New Zealand lost 20-18 to France after Australia went down 12-10 to England in quarter-finals that the Southern Hemisphere nations were expected to dominate.
South Africa advanced 37-20 over Fiji in Marseille on Sunday, scoring two tries in the last 10 minutes to kill off a determined challenge.
"I'm speaking as every other rugby guy who watched it," White said. "Nobody would have thought that on one Saturday, New Zealand and Australia, No. 1 and No. 2 teams, have been knocked out of the World Cup. I'm as surprised as anyone."
South Africa let a 13-3 lead slip and was 20-all with Fiji with 20 minutes remaining after both Fijian wingers crossed for tries within 90 seconds.
The Fijians went within inches of scoring twice more, but knocked on after a 5m scrum and Springboks winger JP Pietersen made a try-saving tackle in the corner on big Fijian lock Ifereimi Rawaqa in the 67th minute.
"What it did highlight was that 20-all after 60 minutes in this Test match, and the two results we got yesterday, there's no preparation for pressure," White said. "It just shows that certain players and certain teams can handle pressure better."
"I'm just thankful I'm sitting here as a coach of a team who could do it," he said.
White credited captain John Smit with pulling a young combination together in the last quarter, and said it should fortify the squad for later in the tournament.
"The bottom line, this is a quarter-final of a World Cup. We scored five tries to two," he said. "We probably didn't play as well as we could, we know that. But at the end of the day, it's about going to the next round."
"I sit here now as a coach. We're in the top four, got no injuries. What more do you want going into the last 2 weeks of a World Cup knowing you've got a chance to win it?" White said.
South Africa edged the Wallabies at home to open the Tri-Nations series this season. But after losing to the All Blacks, they were heavily criticized by Australia and New Zealand for sending a second-string squad for the away matches.
White's excuse at the time was that he was resting some players to avoid injuries and giving others opportunities to ensure he had a deep World Cup squad.
The South Africans had four wins in the group stage, including a 36-0 thumping of England and a narrow 30-25 win over Tonga, and are now into a semi-final against Argentina.
And despite the close call against Fiji, the Springboks are now favored to win their first World Cup since 1995.
"People can be critical and say you're lucky -- maybe Fiji should have scored in the corner, whatever," White said. "A lot of things can happen."
"Yesterday, England beat Australia and France beat New Zealand and I'd much rather be where I am today than where those two countries [Australia and New Zealand] are today," he said.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS