Springboks to party like its 2007?

Can the Springboks repeat the glory of 2007?
Springboks to party like its 2007?


When Jean de Villiers announced his retirement from international rugby a few weeks ago, he made it clear that he would now focus on being the ”number one” Springbok fan.

He was rather positive for a player forced into retirement after a13-year injury prone career, during a rugby world cup tournament.

Not long after swapping the captain’s armband for his supporters cap, De Villiers produced what Australian commentators would call a verbal “speculator” also known as a 50/50 pass.

He quickly pointed out, that his injury enforced retirement could be a blessing in disguise for his Bok teammates in England.

Drawing comparison between his shortened campaign, in 2007 and 2015, De Villiers joked that the stars could be aligning for another lightning strike at the rugby world cup.

The last time the quadrennial event was hosted in the northern hemisphere, JDV’s tournament ended in its first week due to injury, but South Africa went all the way, and lifted the cup in Paris.

The former captain directed the media’s attention to other similarities between 2007 and 2015 before stopping short of predicting a South African world cup triumph on the 31st October at Twickenham just as had happened in Paris eight years earlier.

After closer inspection, one must admit that De Villiers was definitely onto something and not on anything.

Since sports fans are some of the most superstitious people around, I warn that you take the following similarities between the ongoing tournament and the world cup of 2007 with a pinch of salt.




Events from the 2007 Rugby World Cup that have repeated themselves in 2015

  •          Jean de Villiers suffered a tournament ending injury in 2007, in 2015 he was forced into retirement after suffering a fractured jaw.
  •          South Africa faced Samoa and the USA in the Pool stages beating them comfortably on both occasions and topping the Pool.
  •           A Springbok winger scored a hat-trick or better against Samoa in both years. In 2007 Bryan Habana bagged four tries, eight years later JP Pietersen crossed the line three times against the South Pacific Islanders.
  •          The Boks beat an opponent without conceding a point in both tournaments. In ‘07 England were humiliated 36-0, in 2015 it was the USA who suffered a 64-0 hammering.
  •          The team that finished second in the Boks’ pool met Australia in the quarters. Eight year’s ago it was England who went on to eliminate the Wallabies, but can Scotland do the same?
  •          In ’07 Fiji finished above co-hosts Wales in the pool and faced the Springboks in the quarters, Wales who finished above hosts England in ’15 will face the Boks in the last eight.
  •          One of the quarterfinal venues is also the headquarters to a team eliminated in the group stages. Cardiff (Wales in 07), Twickenham (England in 15)
  •           In 2007 New Zealand were comfortable winners of their Pool only to be shocked by France in the quarters, these two countries will meet again in the quarterfinals and again in Cardiff.


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