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At 32, Frans Steyn will surely take a second look back on Saturday, before the Rugby World Cup final between his country, South Africa, and England . With its powerful starts, this center of 1.91 high and 111 kilos was one of the protagonists of the 2007 final among the same teams. He was 20 years old, contributed three points by converting a penalty stroke from the center of the field and proclaimed champion (15-6). Steyn was the only non-New Zealand winner of a World Cup competing in Japan and, after the defeat of the All Blacks in the semifinals, he is the only one who can revalidate the title.
The 'Springboks' coach, Rassie Erasmus , included him in the squad for Japan in order to bring his experience. And count on him. Frans Steyn has participated in five of the six clashes, has entered all the calls and is among the 23 who are going to meet England in the duel to decide who happens to New Zealand on the throne of international rugby. A meeting that will attract the attention of sports fans across the planet.
"I thought my World Cup days were over," Steyn said, currently in the ranks of the French Montpellier , knowing in August that he was going to travel to Japan. It is not just about seniority and quality; You can fill almost any position on the three-quarter line with guarantees. Something much appreciated by coaches. "More and more impact players are more important, those who are going to play only 15 minutes, but they will be the most important of their lives," says the Spanish coach Santiago Santos , who figures that value in his ability to "bring a revulsive ". The continuous wear of the current rugby does not allow it to be based only on the 15 owners, it requires eight first-level spare parts on the bench that offer alternatives, especially in the last section. A fact about the 'Springboks' plan: six of those eight South African parts for Saturday are forward. More muscle over the field.
Santos highlights how England, trained by Australian Eddie Jones , has been improving as the World Cup progresses. "They are very sparkly, they have reached the final very well physically and mentally," he explains. Among their strengths, "the defense - they know where they have to squeeze the most - they are working the meeting point very well and their offensive game has to do with skilled players." He considers that the use, for example in the semifinal against the All Blacks, of two starts, George Ford and Owen Farrell (moved to the first center position), enriches his options.
Eddie Jones may be interested, according to Santiago Santos, "more chaos than order" and will opt again for the two openings. Throughout the World Cup, England has stood out in a defense that forces the opponent to lose balls that serve to launch very fast counterattacks. But his dominance of the offensive game against New Zealand showed that he is a team capable of combining different records. Its third line and its centers cover a lot of space. The Spanish coach considers the 'XV de la Rosa' "a more complete tad", although he adds that everything is possible in the finals.
As for South Africa, which on Sunday defeated Wales, Santos underlines his improvement in the last two years. In his analysis he mentions "a good defense, a beastly forward in the conquest phases, which works very well so that the game is not fast, and somewhat less variety in attack." They count 'the Springboks' with their reliability in the finals: they have won in the two they have played. That of 1995, with Mandela in the box, and that of 2007, precisely against England. For the British, it will be their fourth game for the title, although they have only lifted the Webb Ellis cup once. It was in 2003, thanks to a drop of Wilkinson in extra time.
Among the imposing plant of the South African team, two small players embody their threats in attack. One is Faf de Klerk, half a melee of the English Sale Sharks, who directs the game of his entire team next to the Pollard opening, reads the gaps very quickly and does not shrink when it comes to defending the 'fat' rivals . The other, the wing Cheslin Kolbe , of French Toulouse. His short stature, barely over 1'70, can make him suffer in the kicks that hang over his head, but he becomes lethal if he receives them with time and starts running. Its speed gives your team the ability to attack not only with the strikers.
For Santiago Santos, England will try a "dynamic and open" game while South Africa will try to "make it slow without risking much in attack." He considers that the arbitrations of the first phase, with many consultations to the television judges who stopped the game, have evolved towards a "more fluid, to let play, to grant advantages" style in the qualifiers. In any case, if produced, these stops would benefit, according to the Spanish coach, South Africa.
The two finalists have managed to control the indisciplines throughout the championship. England has not seen any card, neither yellow nor red, and South Africa has only played 10 minutes in numerical inferiority. An important fact, because both teams will avoid committing punishments that rival kickers can convert into points. Santiago Santos does not expect a showy clash. Remember how "in most World Cup finals, except the last one, very few rehearsals are marked."
He could not travel with Spain to Japan, but works to qualify for France 2023 . "We have fewer resources but better players than our direct competitors, Spanish rugby has a lot of potential," he concludes, hoping that, as with Steyn, the years of work will give 'lions' a new opportunity.
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