The moment
of truth
approaches
| The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes, |
| Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise !
DID England peak last week against New Zealand? Can the Boks achieve a peak tomorrow against England? Alexander Pope, quoted above, could well have been speculating on the Rugby World Cup final. It's a conundrum nobody can resolve in advance. England were just brilliant against the All Blacks in the semi. It was difficult to believe what was happening before our eyes. Can that crafty little critter Eddie Jones pull something out of the hat a second time? Likewise, can Rassie conjure a peak not yet achieved? Or will it be the same old same old … kick and chase, caution first? Where better to gain expert opinion than the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties? And who better to approach than the gorgeous Lucretia Lekkerboobs who always, in the case of victory, leads the damsels in providing knicker elastic for a fashioning of catapults for the traditional celebratory feu de joie in which the streetlights are shot out? To my great astonishment, she started spouting Shakespeare. BWhen the blast of war blows in our ears, TThen imitate the action of the tiger; SStiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, DDiguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage; TThen lend the eye a terrible aspect; LLet pry through the portage of the head LLike the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it As fearfully as doth a galled rock OO'erhang and jutty his confounded base, SSwill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean. Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide, Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit TTo his full height …. Ah yes. That's the Immortal Bard's famous pep talk before Agincourt. "Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide …" It so captures the spirit of rugby, it's the very image of a forward tearing his way into a loose maul. Who can set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide for the full 80 minutes? That'll decide it. 'Erewego, 'erewego, 'erewego! |
Tommy Bedford
MEANWHILE, a retrospective on the Boks' semi against Wales last week, in a newsletter by none other than Tommy Bedford, who captained Natal at eighth man in days of yore and had 25 Bok caps, three as skipper.
He compares the 1964 Test against Wales, in Durban, where the Boks won 24-3, with last week's 19-16.
"To think outside the mindless box kick that Faf (and his predecessors) plied for 80 minutes against Wales, and Wales against us, is hardly the stuff of legend.
Tommy, who now lives in London, quotes the BBC: "It never was pretty. This was a horrible game, as ugly and enervating as the first semi-final had been thrilling. If the Springboks, so full of sweet passion at the anthem, were almost joyless for the remainder - kicking away their first eight pieces of possession, showing so little attacking ambition that it was like watching a different sport to the night before - then Wales were too often sucked into the same negative spiral…"
May tomorrow bring something better. We surely owe it to our Japanese hosts.
Tailpiece
I DREAM of a better world where beer is free, football doesn't exist and the Rugby World Cup is every day.
Last word
A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down. - Robert Benchley
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