Injuries to key players can change sporting fates, while South Africa look much stronger with Siya Kolisi back in the side
porting perspective can sometimes be found in unlikely places. There we were, rubbing the sleep from our eyes around 5.30am en route to Dublin airport, when our taxi driver told us a poignant story. The youngest of 10 brothers from the tough side of town, his hobby was pigeon racing. His goal was to win one of the classic races in France, no easy task for Irish pigeons required to fly across several hundred kilometres of sea to reach their distant loft.
To some degree it is the natural order of things. What goes up in sport will come down eventually. In the entire history of the Rugby World Cup, the only country to have won back-to-back titles is New Zealand, in 2011 and 2015. And, as anyone who witnessed the 2011 final knows, the All Blacks required a good deal of fortune on the night to make that happen.
As recently as April he was undergoing surgery on a serious knee ligament injury. On Saturday he was charging around having seemingly been fitted with a whole new engine. This matters because the top teams take their lead from their captains. Richie McCaw was a constant presence throughout the All Blacks’ glory years, even on one leg. So was Martin Johnson when England were at their height two decades ago.
Further evidence could yet emerge at Twickenham on Friday when the latter sides meet in a money-spinning warm-up fixture. There is no such thing as a friendly between the Springboks and the All Blacks, which makes it instructive. If New Zealand can beat a powerful-looking South African side it will deliver a genuine statement. If the Boks slice and dice a beefed-up All Black pack and continue to be a serious attacking handful, exactly the same will be true.
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