Imposing and with a face that has seen rugby wars, Duane Vermuelen could have stepped from Mount Rushmore. He is not the Springbok forward most would have picked for a back flip pass. His flick to captain Fourie du Preez filleted Wales. They were expecting more brutality, Vermuelen at the heart of it. Instead, they got a moment of finesse.
Warren Gatland’s side, almost perfect in defence over four weeks fell to a sucker punch, part of which the ‘Boks borrowed from the Argentina play book.
A training ground move, triggered by clever du Preez, Vermuelen was a willing contributor. But when Wales were expecting another crash ball, it was a spark of inspiration that separated the sides.
It has been thus in this World Cup. France's surrender to New Zealand aside the top teams have faced defences that have become systematic and allergic to any light seeping through.
How to break them down has been an enduring puzzle. But all week coach Heyneke Meyer had been calling his captain a genius. Over blown some thought, but du Preez delivered.
South Africa had barely a sniff of the try line all evening. Then the 75th minute arrived.
“We actually initially went for the penalty from the scrum, but during the week we noticed that their number nine was covering more behind the scrum and that opened some space,” said Du Preez afterwards.
“The Argentina try was a little different. They did a 12, eight, nine 11 move against us so this was a bit different. I dummied to the right and we also had Bryan (Habana) to the right to pull their nine over. There was a lot of emotions because it was quite a tight game. Until then it could have gone anywhere.”
The scrum wheeled to the right and Vermeulen broke. Du Preez dummied the pass and took off into space. The Welsh defence was unlocked.
“I said to Duane (Vermuelen) in Afrikaans that I will dummy to the right and he should go left. It was an unbelievable pass from him and shows what a great player he is. I didn’t think he was going to give a back flip pass and I’m going to score,” said the Springbok captain.
It looked like an instinctive play from du Preez, but Meyer confirmed it was a set move the two players had practiced on the training field in the week leading up to the game.
“He called it and it’s something he and Duane worked on the whole week,” said Meyer. “To score that try showed some pace from my captain.
“They say he doesn’t have any more pace, the players. I thought it was awesome. Fourie was brilliant. He came up with that move as well. I don’t want to take any credit for it.”
There was no doubting Welsh bravery. But Dan Biggar’s chip and gather aside, creativity and discipline were missing. Gatland was low and disappointed and also uncharacteristically accepting of the defeat. He was loath to strike out at anyone.
Captain Sam Warburton, fresh and spry and eager for more World Cup rugby, bemoaned the penalties they gave away in the first half but mostly the end of the World Cup road for Wales.
“Going out of the competition now feels very premature,” said Warburton.”We put in so much work in the summer and my body feels ready to go for another two weeks if I had to.
“It wasn’t a case of one game too far. We would never blame the injuries or playing so many games in a row. It was the same for everyone. I feel physically we are in a good place and just got caught at the end. That was it.
“Games are won on individual moments sometimes.”
So says Fourie and Meyer. The Springbok captain almost didn’t come to the World Cup, had to be begged to do so by the coach. But one piece of artistry in a game of prosaic, brutal collisions, he can, at 33-years-old, look forward to the All Blacks in the next match and the dream of a World Cup final.
