Of high roads and low roads

Here’s a World Cup fact to make note of. England remain the only side to lose a match in the pool stages of the tournament and still go through to the Final.

That happened in 1991 when Will Carling’s side lost to the All Blacks in the opening game but managed to forge through to the eventual Final against the Wallabies at Twickenham – a game they lost 12-6.

And that is why September 14 is such an important junction in the Springboks’ quest to win The Webb Ellis Cup for a second time in the tournament that kicks off on Friday.

It was Kitch Christie who came up with the “high road, low road” catch phrase as he prepared the Springboks for their first ever tilt at the world championship in 1995.

Christie, in ’95, was referring to the opening game against defending champions Australia – the last time an unworkable idea to pit the hosts against the champions was in place – and how if South Africa won they would have a much easier quarterfinal.

This scenario was again present in Australia in 2003 when the Boks had England in their pool, needing to beat them to avoid clashing with the All Blacks in the last eight… and it is there again this year.

With due apologies to those of you who have studied the draw carefully let’s recap on what the Boks have to do to win what in 2007 is known as the Coupe du Monde; especially after recently noting a prominent rugby personage making the uncommon prediction that South Africa would beat Australia in the Final; an outcome which, while possible, seems highly unlikely.

England, the reigning champions remember, are again the hurdle the Boks have to clear if they hope to top Pool A and set up a more easily negotiable quarterfinal.

The nature of the World Cup system – four pools of five teams – is such that a team almost inevitably has to win all four its pool matches to “top the log” and qualify for a quarterfinal against the second team in one of the other pools.

In South Africa’s case this means having to again beat England at the Stade de France – just as they did in 1999 when Jannie de Beer writ his name large in the annals of the World Cup by kicking five dropped goals – as the Boks are almost certain to win their other pool matches against Samoa, America and Tonga.

South Africa are in Pool A and the tournament rules state that the winner of Pool A will play the runner-up of Pool B in the third quarterfinal in Marseille on October 7.

And who might that be? In all probability Wales because the countries in Pool B are Australia, Wales, Fiji, Canada and Japan.

And even though the Wallabies have a potentially tricky fixture against the Welsh at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – repeating their quarterfinal in 1999 – it is likely that the Australians will top Pool B while the Welsh, one would hope, should have the beating of Canada, Fiji and Japan.

The Boks will thus in all probability face Wales, to whom they have lost only once before, in Marseille while keeping an eye on action in Pools C and D to see who they will meet in the semifinals should they once again triumph over the Welshmen.

And, if one goes by form and world ranking the Boks will in all likelihood end up having to meet their hosts, France, in the last four who, carried by pride and passion, will almost certainly emerge as the top team in the toughest of the Pools – C, also containing Ireland, Argentina, Georgia and Namibia.

The All Blacks, in spite of having to travel to Murrayfield to take on the Scots, should cruise through Pool C so, to my mind, we are heading for a last four made up of South Africa vs France and New Zealand vs Australia – who, of course, if South Africa had topped Pool A would have had to beat England in the quarters.

And what a revisitation of history that would be; bringing back memories of those unforgettable moments in 1995 when South African played France in the semifinal and then took on New Zealand in the Final to win the World Cup against the odds.

Could it happen again? I say why not. The Springboks will be one of the three best sides in the tournament, the others being the All Blacks and France, and there is no reason why they should not emerge victorious – which, if it were to happen, would be the most remarkable achievement for a team, with everything that has gone on and continues to go on, that can hardly be said to be one team representing one country.