LONDON, 14 October 2007 — This evening’s second Rugby World Cup semifinal between South Africa and Argentina may not have induced the same level of jingoism and banter in the international media regarding le Crunch match between England and France, but in terms of conviction and destiny it is probably more intense and historic.
With arch-rivals and hot favourites New Zealand All Blacks long settled in back at home after their shock early exit, the South African Springboks believe that they are out to fulfill their rightful destiny, and the William Webb Ellis Trophy is theirs to lose.
This time there is no home advantage, and the iconic Nelson Mandela will not be at hand at the kick-off at the Stade de France donned in the famous green and gold Springbok jersey and cap as he did in 1995 when South Africa last won the World Cup. Unless of course the South African management conjure him up in Paris as their lucky mascot of last resort.
Such an appearance would be enough even to move even the most die-hard of cynics, and would be worth its weight in gold in instilling confidence into a side that come close to running out of it against Tonga.
The good news for South African fans is that the Springboks have never lost to the Argentinian Pumas, unlike of course both England and France. In fact, the last time the Pumas beat England was on 11 November 2006 at Twickenham when Federico Todeschini scored a dramatic interception try to see his side triumph 25-18 and send English rugby to a new nadir.
The bad news is that the Pumas are the most determined and committed side in the tournament. Add this to conviction and the sheer physicality of its pack, then the Pumas indeed strike a hard punch.
The Pumas are indeed rugby’s enigma. The official emblem of Argentinian rugby is actually a Jaguar, but an English journalist got his wires crossed over the big cats, and the Latin American country got stuck with the Puma label. However, over the last few years Argentine rugby, still a largely middle class sport, has matured incredibly fast.
Perhaps more so, it has undergone a major revolution in the last few decades, which would have made one of its most iconic rugby internationals, Che Guevara proud. Perhaps, it a sheer coincidence that the 40th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara was celebrated only a few days ago. I wonder what Che would have made of the Argentinian rugby renaissance of today.
Not many people may have heard of Hugo Porta, Walter Scharemberg or Raoul Loyola. They were great Pumas of yesteryear — fit to be included in any Rugby Hall of Fame. The Argentinian success at France 2007 is as much homage to them as it is to the future of rugby in the South American country. The International Rugby Board (IRB) dare not refuse the Pumas a place at the top table after their heroics on the field not only over the last few weeks but over the last three decades.
The success of the Pumas on the rugby field has rallied the whole nation. Plucky Augostino Pichot, the Pumas captain, has been inundated with best wishes calls and SMS messages. Even the Football World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Chile, like the England Estonia Euro qualifier, have been sidelined in importance. Politicians campaigning for the imminent general election have also joined in the act. So has football stars such as Man United’s Carlos Tevez; and Inter Milan’s Santiago Solari and Valencia’s Juan Roman Riquelme — all mates of Pichot.
The 33-year-old Pumas captain is retiring after France 2007. As such today’s match is as much a swansong for him as for the team in general. As such, his team mates would be doubly inspired to prolong this swansong to next weekend’s final.
The Springboks and Pumas are probably the two strongest in the business. Os (the name in Afrikaans means ox) Du Randt and CJ van der Linde epitomize Afrikaner manhood at its most potent. But then Ledesma and Fernandez Lobbe are examples of prime Argentinian beef and more than a match for the Springboks. In terms of sheer power and conviction, the two teams are evenly matched.
But the Springboks have a definitive edge in flair, technique, pace and experience. The strength of the Pumas is that they are by far the most close-knitted team in world rugby — largely amateurs playing for country, pride and passion as opposed to money. They have been playing together as a unit for more than a decade. None of this rotation rubbish that eventually proved the undoing of the All Blacks.
