Chris Rattue: Diehards become inept try hards

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Question: Which African nation is a wee outfit loved by one and all for its fun-filled rugby nature and willingness to battle the odds?

Answer: No folks, not Namibia. Good try. The answer is ... South Africa.

Yes, the same mob who once gave us blood-curdling battles are, in fact, cuddly try hards who set about adding to the World Cup's festival atmosphere.

Stomping Moaner van Heerden, dodgy whistle blowers, loose forwards built like tanks, crash-tackling midfield backs, ruthless goalkickers who broke our hearts ... just a figment of the imagination, old boy.

What next? Fluffy Bakkies Botha dolls?

South Africa came up with the perfunctory lines about disappointment after getting smashed by the All Blacks in Melbourne.

"As a team, as a nation, it's a disappointment," coach Rudolf Straeuli said. "We came here to win the World Cup."

But Straeuli's booming voice had a further, remarkable, twist on rugby order.

"We've won a lot of hearts on and off the field with the way we've played," he claimed about an hour after the humiliating defeat.

"Coming to the World Cup, England and New Zealand were favourites. The supporters probably go for teams such as Ireland and ourselves, and they wish that they do well."

And even more.

"Maybe the World Cup did come a year too soon."

This was like hearing Mike Tyson urging the world to have a nice day.

With all due respect to the Irish, they hardly rank alongside the Springboks in rugby achievement.

As for the tournament coming a year early, South Africa - like everyone else - had plenty of notice.

And South African rugby has always been about winning games, not hearts. Why else would you try Louis Koen at first five-eighth, or persist with the heat-seeking tackling missile De Wet Barry?

Not that it did South Africa much good.

And while we're on this hearts business, the Springbok race controversy - put on hold until after this tournament - has not endeared them to anyone.

Like much of their rugby, which looks like a clumsy imitation of Australian and New Zealand tactics, even the post-match spin was out of time, out of place.

The All Blacks were, in the main, magnificent.

From forward power and precision, the bravery of a smashing Jerry Collins, to the contrasting skills of halves Justin Marshall and Carlos Spencer.

Marshall and Spencer are hammer and angles, one providing the muscle, the other bewitching skill. Who else, apart from the magical Spencer, could complete a between-the-legs pass for a try in an arena like this?

It was like watching a whiz-kid at the local park, except the park was surrounded by 40,000 people, it had a roof and rugby's oldest rivalry was in action.

South Africa have nothing to compare.

It wasn't so much a quarter-final as a hung-drawn-and-quartered finale for the Springboks. The margin could easily have been another 20 points.

After decades of holding a slight edge over the All Blacks, the old enemy have shot ahead.

It was a frustrating farewell from test rugby for South Africa's record test-holder Joost van der Westhuizen, who tasted World Cup triumph in 1995.

The 32-year-old threw himself into defence behind a struggling pack, but Marshall outplayed him.

As van der Westhuizen walked off in the 76th minute, lock Victor Matfield gave him a high-hand shake.

After Tony Spreadbury's final whistle, Marshall put his arm around his old rival.

"He just said thank you and good luck. That's nice," said van der Westhuizen, who has a TV contract, is set on being a "big family man" and might still play at other levels.

The Springboks visited the All Blacks' changing room, where the veteran halfbacks had their first-ever beer together.

"I was honoured to play against Justin. He had an excellent game," van der Westhuizen said.

"It's not about sadness for ending my career, it's about sadness for losing the match. We committed to winning the World Cup, so it's about losing the cup.

"I never pressured myself thinking it was my last game. I thoroughly thought there were two more games left.

"The way the guys prepared, the way we felt in the changing room, there was definitely more to come.

"I'm very excited to see what can happen in the next four years of South African rugby, but that's only if they keep this squad together, work with these players.

"From what I've seen from inside the camp, I'm smiling for the future. I don't want to cry about it [test retirement] ... I actually want to smile about it because rugby was good to me. I can smile in my heart to be part of world rugby."

He deserves to go out with a smile, yet he leaves behind a telling statistic, apart from a Springboks-record 89 test appearances and 38 tries.

Of his 17 meetings with the All Blacks, van der Westhuizen found victory just five times.

Add to this the woes of South Africa's limited Super 12 outfits and all their other problems, then smiles turn to grimaces.

For any step forward South Africa take, the All Blacks take two.

You would doubt that when van der Westhuizen made his debut in 1993, he could have envisaged ending his career listening to the national coach lining the Springboks up alongside Ireland.

Irish rugby eyes may smile, whatever the circumstance. South African ones, in contrast to van der Westhuizen's cautious optimism, do not.

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