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'You can't say they were lucky': Bok legend fires back at criticism after World Cup win

Handre Pollard (R), of South Africa, who scored all their points in the match, celebrates victory at the final whistle during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Gold Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

It is strange that a team could play five of the top six teams in the world on the way to being crowned world champions and be accused of being lucky, but that has been the charge thrown South Africa’s way ever since they won their fourth World Cup back in October.

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It was of course not the route that the Springboks had to the final which has been described as lucky – this was the hardest route probably any team will ever have to World Cup glory – rather the results they earned on the way.

Jacque Nienaber’s side beat hosts France, England and the All Blacks in consecutive weeks by a solitary point in the knockout stages, which some feel came down to luck. But one person’s luck is another’s good preparation, and 2007 World Cup winner Schalk Burger firmly believes it was the latter.

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    WATCH as EPCR CEO Jacques Raynaud and Chairman Dominic McKay chat to @king365ed about the shockingly poor spectator numbers at the 62,000-seater Ellis Park stadium – take two

    The 86-cap Springbok was a guest on Hanyani Shimange’s ‘Boks Office’ podcast recently, where he was asked whether his compatriots were lucky on the way to winning their fourth title, and his response was emphatic.

    “It’s so hard to say that the Boks were lucky because this group deserves it,” the former World Rugby player of the year said. “You look at the teams we beat, five of world’s top six to get there, the toughest route any team has ever had to win a World Cup, let alone back-to-back World Cups.

    “If you took our pool where we played Scotland first game, that’s the most important one, then the intensity of that Irish game – yes, we could have got a result, fair play to Ireland – but I guess where the lucky part comes from, so often we’ve been involved in World Cups and we’ve played so well, you take our quarter-final against Australia back in 2011 and we come up two points short, you look at the tightness of those games and certain calls that go your way or Handre Pollard’s magnificent kick in the semi-final, sometimes it’s just your time.

    “Things happen and go your way and the Boks had a lot of stuff roll their way in those big games, whether that’s through preparation, is it divine intervention? Is it your time? We don’t know, but you can’t say they were lucky.”

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    Comments

    16 Comments
    J
    Jmann 585 days ago

    I rather think that you can say that in fact. I’d go as far as to say the best team lost that day. And that mistakes made by the officials were a large part of it.

    j
    jn 586 days ago

    I have a sheep..When it opens its mouth all I hear is baaaa

    baaa.

    When Jen opens her thoughts on this page all I hear is baaa, baaaaaa..

    Goddness Jen you and my sheep have a lot in common…

    Baaaa baaaa..

    C
    Chris 586 days ago

    Gary Player once said, “you know they say I’m lucky, but the more I practice the luckier I get”

    V
    Vincent 586 days ago

    SA have won 4 out of 8 world cups they played. All blacks 3 out of ten. Was that luck too?

    J
    JW 586 days ago

    They still whining on about this?

    The ABs got whomped not long before and the final was closer than it should have been. The real final for me was against France.


    As a Boks man I couldn’t care less how they won, all I know is it was an adventure of great rugby, elation and fried nerves.


    Say what you want, facts are the Boks have 3 world cups away from home to the ABs solitary one.

    J
    Jmann 585 days ago

    The ABs stepped off the plane and played a scratch team that day…. In reflection I think SA are good for one of those RWCs (2019) the rest they rode their luck pretty hard

    J
    Jen 586 days ago

    No, ‘they’ are ‘not still whining on about this’. The article says that some SA dude on Boks Office asked the question about luck. I know zero people in NZ who are still talking about this game, media included.

    S
    Steve 586 days ago

    Didn't play the number 1 side to get there and 16 men playing 14 should always win.

    j
    jn 586 days ago

    Steve I absolutely agree with you..

    Like I have said in my previous posts the All blacks always had the refs in their back pockets as the world’s most precious rugby brand “ The almighty All Blacks!!!, and yes the All Blacks were playing with 16 men on the field that day, I agree with you but…

    ” I know it’s not what you meant but through other peoples eyes that’s precisely what it feels like,

    so well put mate ”..


    Just a pity that the AB's stupidity let them down in such a big way that not even the refs could get away with sliding one or two or even six infringements per game in the AB’S favour as the all seeing with the microscope, the eye of Sauron was scanning them and catching them out like never ever before…

    I still read the nagging crying complaints of how unfair that disallowed forward knock try was…I wonder if it was another team would the NZ supporters cry the same?? You would never would hear the end of it would you!

    On how they The ALLMIGHTY ALL BLACKS GOT DONE HARD BY…


    Ouch had to hurt when you know your team could’ve won if only they could get away with cheating this time just like so many times before, go and ask your old time favourite Mr Offsiding Ritchy Maccaw now a national hero in your own eyes, that is as long as he gets away with it unlike your now disgraced former captain Sam Cane eh Steve.

    I actually really feel sorry for him as the rules really suck now and Sam really got done hard but has for all I know always been a hard and honest player other than Mr Maccaw who was one heck of a cheat and does not deserve the credit he is getting, as he should’ve seen plenty of red cards for all his years of getting away with robbing other teams unfairly!!!

    Steve there is a block button as jen mentioned before there if you don’t want to hear the truth just like old baaaaaaa baaaaaaaa.Jen..

    I suggest you press it buddy.

    The truth stings mate and sorry to say for as long as you keep whining on these pages it will keep stinging..

    N
    NS 586 days ago

    Who, may I ask, in your esteemed opinion, was the number 1 side before the RWC? Because by rank or results, it certainly wasn't the All Blacks.

    V
    Vincent 586 days ago

    ABs have only won 3 from 10 cups played against 4 from 8 for SA.

    No 1 side? ABs Number 1 side? OR just Number 1 moaners?

    D
    Donald 586 days ago

    Well, in the words of Mandy Rice-Davies; ‘He would say that, wouldn’t he?’.

    N
    Ninjin 586 days ago

    Winners make the effort while losers make excuses.

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