Being the best in the world

Subject: Being the best in the world.

It's a funny old world. In a matter of just over a week the tactical game which made the England match against the Kiwi's a legend was now reversed by the Springbok and used against us. The scrum on which so much depends became a nightmare for England as the Boks of old, that tough fierce combative side fought for every scrap of ball and bundled England out of the game. Their domination of the scum was nearly complete forcing England into errors and penalties which the Springbok capitalised upon. But not only the pack but the defence, the speed at which they rushed the English players causing them to be on the back foot much like the English side had done to the Kiwi's.  There was little of no slight of foot from the backs on either side, it was positional play dictated by the ability of the Springbok forwards to maximise their presence. The game became a game of penalties, territory was what it was all about, being in the right part of the pitch to give your kicker a chance. England were out played by a Southern Hemisphere team who played, as of old, powerful and brutally clinical rugby.  They deserved to win from the moment Sinclair went off with concussion, Dan Cole was not able to provide the balance in the scrum and repeadly they were pushed around to concede penalty after penalty from which Handre Pollard said thank you very much. 
So the hopes of a nation, England, were once more relegated to all so runs, once more questioning what went wrong. There had been a moment when the Northern Hemisphere thought they had found a way to beat the best in the Southern Hemisphere and, given the overwhelming display in the semifinal, England were clear favourites to win this game. All the skills were there, the coach was a master of his trade but somehow the Kiwi, the Australian and today the Springbok bring an extra dimension. 
How do England rebuild their hopes and desire after having such a good tournament  only to fall at the last hurdle. The time and the total commitment to your sport has been found wanting.and given the dedication you put in it must come as a tremendous disappointment having to climb out of the pit of disbelief and despair which must always accompany losing a World Cup.
The South African side return to a broken crime ridden society at home, England return to an equally tormented country which has willingly decided to inflict economic pain on itself. The sight of Cyril Ramaphosa, like his predecessor Nelson Mandela, wearing the number 6 on his back, the position the first black South African captain Siya Kolisa plays is seen as a healthy progression in that remarkable but racially divided country. Will it be enough to end the poverty and the unemployment, no, but for a day at least all South Africans can feel proud to be the best in the world at rugby.