Percy Montgomery and Bryana Habana celebrate
Photo copyright: © Getty Images
South Africa book place in World Cup Final
14 October 2007, 7:10 pm
By Staff
South Africa will face England in next Saturday night's World Cup Final after scoring a 37-13 win over Argentina in the second semi-final. The Springboks ran in four tries while Percy Montgomery's kicking was unerring as the Pumas never looked able to produce another shock win.
The Springboks profited from elementary Argentinian mistakes to score three first-half tries, through Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana and Danie Rossouw. Habana applied the coup de grace with his second try five minutes from time and Montgomery finished with 17 points.
Argentina's only try came straight after the interval through Manuel Contepomi but this was a game too far for the tournament's surprise package.
Argentina players were in tears during their anthem and the powerful pack had South Africa under pressure at the first two scrums. But the Pumas conceded too many early penalties at the breakdown and careless errors undermined their promising start.
Argentina were nearly caught when scrum-half Fourie du Preez took a quick tap but his chip aimed at Bryan Habana was just too long and bounced into touch.
The Pumas were mixing up their attack, driving strongly from the lineout while Juan Martin Hernandez was confident to run from fly-half.
Full-back Ignacio Corleto linked well with winger Horacio Agulla, who evaded one challenge and then sent Du Preez sprawling.
Argentina kept up the momentum up with a looped pass from Rodrigo Roncero but they were stung when Felipe Contepomi's pass was picked off by Du Preez, who raced 70 metres to score the opening try after seven minutes.
Hernandez scuffed a drop-goal attempt but Contepomi booted Argentina onto the board after 13 minutes with a 40-metre penalty after South Africa captain John Smit was penalised for obstruction.
The Springboks responded immediately after Argentina infringed at the breakdown once again and Percy Montgomery added to his early conversion.
The Pumas continued to cause South Africa trouble at the scrum but Contepomi's long-range effort drifted wide of the right hand post.
Before Contepomi could strike the ball, referee Steve Walsh spotted the Argentina kicker had been given a rogue practice ball. It was the same problem which affected England yesterday.
Agulla conceded a sloppy knock-on but, with advantage over, Pumas winger Lucas Borges recovered brilliantly to scoop up a chip forward and skip past Habana to surge clear.
Neither side could gain any control or momentum in a scrappy, error-strewn period. The kicking from both sides was woeful, epitomised by Contepomi's kick into touch which went no more than 10 metres.
Contepomi slotted a simple penalty after Steyn was penalised but Argentina could not build any pressure as they continued to make silly mistakes.
Pumas number eight Gonzalo Elia gathered a wayward clearance and charged forward but lost the ball to Schalk Burger and finally the Springboks put together a slick attacking move.
Steyn recognised South Africa had numbers wide left and the ball was quickly swung wide for Habana, who chipped into space behind the Argentina defence and turned on the after-burners to score the Springboks' second try.
And they pounced again after another Argentina mistake, this time from Hernandez inside his own 22.
One of the players of the tournament so far, Hernandez failed to gather a pass from Pichot, South Africa snaffled possession and swung the ball out for number eight Danie Rossouw to stride over for the try, which Montgomery converted.
Argentina had to make a fast start if they were to cling onto any hope in the game - and did exactly that, winning a turnover as South Africa tried a driving lineout deep in their own 22. Hooker Mario Ledesma surged for the line and after being caught Argentina recycled quickly and the ball was swung out to Manuel Contepomi, who stepped inside to beat Habana and stretched to score.
Montgomery made it difficult and referee Steve Walsh was not certain whether Contepomi had grounded it correctly but the try was awarded by television official Tony Spreadbury.
Argentina won another penalty at the scrum and their fans found real voice in the stands - but their lineout was beginning to malfunction and they struggled to maintain an attacking platform.
Du Preez sliced an attempted box kick and, as Argentina recovered, the Springboks were penalised for offside but Felipe Contepomi missed another long-range effort from wide on the right.
Argentina earned another penalty after a promising break from Ledesma and Borges but wasted it when Corleto took a quick tap but found himself isolated. The Pumas were handed a reprieve when referee Walsh spotted a clear forward pass from JP Pietersen, who had sliced through Argentina's defence, and denied Habana a second try in the corner.
Argentina's lineout was falling apart and they continued to concede penalties, allowing Montgomery to boot the Springboks clear.
Habana rubbed salt into Argentinian wounds as he picked off another intercept and raced 80 metres to score his second try of the game.
The match ended with frayed tempers and both sides down to 14 men. Juan Smith was sin-binned for a high tackle and Felipe Contepomi soon followed for a punch on Bismarck du Plessis.
South Africa (24) 37
Tries: Du Preez, Habana (2), Rossouw
Cons: Montgomery (4)
Pens: Montgomery (3)
Argentina (6) 13
Tries: M Contepomi
Cons: F Contepomi
Pens: F Contepomi (2)
South Africa: P Montgomery; JP Pietersen, J Fourie, F Steyn, B Habana; B James, F du Preez; O du Randt, J Smit (capt), CJ van der Linde, B Botha, V Matfield, S Burger, J Smith, D Rossouw.
Replacements: B du Plessis, J du Plessis, J Muller, B Skinstad, R Pienaar, A Pretorius, W Olivier.
Argentina: I Corleto; L Borges, M Contepomi, F Contepomi, H Agulla; JM Hernandez, A Pichot (capt); R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo, I Fernandez Lobbe, P Albacete, L Ostiglia, JM Fernandez Lobbe, G Longo Elia.
Replacements: A Vernet Basualdo, O Hasan, R Alvarez Kairelis, JM Leguizamon, N Fernandez Miranda, F Todeschini, G Tiesi.
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
White wary of Wilkinson
Coach Jake White insists South Africa's 36-0 victory over England a month ago is an irrelevance heading into Saturday's World Cup final because of one man - Jonny Wilkinson.
The England fly-half was injured for the Pool A clash at the Stade de France four weeks ago and the Springboks took full advantage to register a record victory.
But England have not lost since Wilkinson returned to action and in last night's first semi-final he kicked a late penalty and drop-goal to seal a 14-9 win over France.
After South Africa booked their place in the final with a 37-13 victory over Argentina, White said: ``Whatever happened in this tournament in the past is irrelevant.
``They played that Test without a fly-half. They lost Olly Barkley and Jonny Wilkinson in that week.
``They have proven they are a different team when they have Jonny Wilkinson at 10 and obviously Mike Catt at 12. I was right what I said that night - we mustn't start writing England off.
``You just have to look at the impact of the number 10 at this World Cup and there is no doubt England will be a completely different team with Jonny Wilkinson at 10.''
South Africa have an impressive recent record against England, winning the last four encounters dating back to the autumn internationals at Twickenham last November.
But White believes England will benefit from the experience the likes of Wilkinson and captain Phil Vickery gained from winning the World Cup four years ago.
``We have won the last four games against England but World Cup finals are different,'' he said.
``England have a lot of players who have played in a World Cup final. That experience is a massive advantage.''
South Africa cruised into the final, scoring three first half tries on the back of elementary Argentinian mistakes.
Fourie du Preez scored after picking off an intercept from Felipe Contepomi and Bryan Habana struck on a devastating counter-attack before Danie Roussow galloped over on the stroke of half-time.
Habana applied the coup de grace with his second try five minutes from time - another intercept - to become the tournament's leading try-scorer.
Percy Montgomery added the icing with a faultless kicking display to finish with 17 points.
``It hasn't sunk in yet we are playing in a World Cup final,'' said White.
``But we have achieved nothing so far. We are really proud of our achievement but it is meaningless if we don't get a win next weekend.''
South Africa president Thabo Mbeki will fly out to watch the final next weekend and White revealed the Springboks will also be inviting Nelson Mandela.
White is close friends with Argentina head coach Marcelo Loffreda, who has led the Pumas to fourth in the Test rankings and their first World Cup semi-final.
``It is an incredible achievement what he has done for Argentina rugby. The fact they made the semi-finals is one of biggest achievements in Argentinian sport,'' said White.
``He needs to be applauded for that. He has done really well.''
Pichot pleads for minnows to be given a chance
Argentina captain Agustin Pichot warned it would be the "end for rugby" if tournament organisers go ahead with plans to cut the World Cup to a 16-team event.
The Pumas' amazing run in the competition came crashing to an end tonight with a 37-13 defeat to South Africa in the second semi-final.
But they can hold their heads high after a marvellous run of results that could help secure them a place in the southern hemisphere's Tri-Nations tournament over the next few years.
They will serve as an inspiration to other up-and-coming teams, such as the Pacific Island countries, for future World Cups, but the IRB has not ruled out cutting the number of entrants from 20 to 16.
Pichot insists that would be the wrong way to go, saying: ``Rugby has to make some tough decisions now, whether to go for a more romantic and more non-profitable path.
``If the World Cup is cut from 20 to 16, I think that will be the end of rugby.
``We need to give all the countries a chance to play on this stage, even if they are not ready to play.
``Two of the greatest teams in world rugby (New Zealand and Australia) have gone home at the quarter-final stage. They have a lot of power.
``We have to look where we want to go. Open rugby, or six-to-10 team rugby.''
Pichot was in tears as he praised the efforts of his team, who progressed through the group stages unbeaten and then beat Scotland before being undone by the four-try Springboks.
``We really believed we could achieve something, but something was missing,'' added the veteran Racing Metro scrum-half.
``I won't have another chance to be a world champion, and that really hurts more than anything else.
``We have been waiting for so long, so it's a really sad day. We did everything, but it was beyond our reach.
``We made the semi-finals and we wanted to be world champions but it wasn't possible.''
Argentina contributed to their own downfall, handing interception tries to Fourie du Preez and Bryan Habana either side of half-time.
Habana added another electric score in the first half, while Danie Rossouw capitalised on a Juan Martin Hernandez knock-on to go over for the decisive third try just before the break to make it 24-6.
Felipe Contepomi, who had landed two penalties before the break, converted brother Manuel's try in the 53rd minute, which brought the score to 24-13. But that was the closest they would come.
Percy Montgomery killed the Pumas with seven successful goal attempts out of seven.
Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda admitted his players were their own worst enemies.
``I am very proud of my team and players but we were the victims of our own mistakes,'' said the future Leicester Tigers coach.
``We were beaten by a great team - they were markedly better than us.
``South Africa are very dangerous, and when they have space or when you make mistakes, knock-ons or drop the ball, they take advantage and score. We paid dearly for the mistakes we made.''
Loffreda also had some harsh words for Kiwi referee Steve Walsh, who penalised the Pumas a number of times at the breakdown.
``We could not understand the referee in the first half, he never explained what was going to on in the mauls,'' he said.
``We were twice done for obstruction, but they did it in the second half and they got away with it. That is what annoyed me.
``We had issues with the referee when he wasn't saying hands off. We are used to hearing this. That is the difference between the two hemispheres.
``Nonetheless, it is not the reason for the result tonight.''
Percy Montgomery and Bryana Habana celebrate
Photo copyright: © Getty Images
South Africa book place in World Cup Final
South Africa will face England in next Saturday night's World Cup Final after scoring a 37-13 win over Argentina in the second semi-final. The Springboks ran in four tries while Percy Montgomery's kicking was unerring as the Pumas never looked able to produce another shock win.
South Africa are bidding to reach their second World Cup final, but Argentina are also unbeaten, having topped a qualifying pool that featured France and Ireland.
South Africa coach Jake White has recalled prop CJ van der Linde for Sunday's clash in Paris.
The Free State prop missed the Springboks' 37-20 quarter-final victory over Fiji last weekend due to a knee injury.
With fellow prop BJ Botha already ruled out of the tournament because of knee trouble, it meant White flying in Jannie du Plessis as front-row cover.
He started against Fiji, but now reverts to the bench alongside his brother Bismarck du Plessis, with Van der Linde packing down alongside Os du Randt and skipper John Smit.
The return of Van der Linde is White's solitary change, despite South Africa producing an unconvincing display in toppling a Fiji side that fought back to 20-20 midway through the second-half.
John Smit will lead the Springboks for the 47th time in Test matches while Percy Montgomery is set to extend his lead in the scoring charts for this tournament - he is currently the top point scorer in RWC 2007 with 76 points.
Bryan Habana, with six tournament tries, needs two tries to equal the RWC Tournament record set in 1999 by Jonah Lomu of New Zealand.
The only player that scored more than six tries at this tournament is Australia's Drew Mitchell whose side crashe dout last weekend.
With the return of Van der Linde South Africa will once again field the most experienced Springbok side ever with a collective caps tally of 653 for the starting 15.
Argentina's star fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez has shaken off injury concerns to be named in an unchanged Pumas side for the match at the Stade de France.
Hernandez sat out contact training on Thursday with a leg injury, along with captain Agustin Pichot (back) and inside centre Felipe Contepomi (flu), but the key trio have been named in the Pumas team.
Argentina will tackle the Springboks with the same starting XV that earned victories over Ireland and then Scotland in last weekend's quarter-final.
The only change coach Marcelo Loffreda has made to the squad is on the bench, where London Irish centre Gonzalo Tiesi replaces Hernan Senillosa.
The Pumas are in their first ever World Cup semi-final and have never before beaten South Africa but are determined to create their own slice of history this week.
Centre Manuel Contepomi said this week: ``There's always a first time for all things.
``This is a semi-final, a new game, we trust in our weapons and that we can play a great match.''
South Africa: P Montgomery; JP Pietersen, J Fourie, F Steyn, B Habana; B James, F du Preez; O du Randt, J Smit (capt), CJ van der Linde, B Botha, V Matfield, S Burger, J Smith, D Rossouw.
Replacements: B du Plessis, J du Plessis, J Muller, B Skinstad, R Pienaar, A Pretorius, W Olivier.
Argentina: I Corleto; L Borges, M Contepomi, F Contepomi, H Agulla; JM Hernandez, A Pichot (capt); R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo, I Fernandez Lobbe, P Albacete, L Ostiglia, JM Fernandez Lobbe, G Longo Elia.
Replacements: A Vernet Basualdo, O Hasan, R Alvarez Kairelis, JM Leguizamon, N Fernandez Miranda, F Todeschini, G Tiesi.
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
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