The world champions’ inconsistency warrants criticism, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
Siya Kolisi’s Springboks, under coaches Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, have already written themselves into rugby history by winning the 2019 World Cup and a series against the British & Irish Lions in 2021. Nothing can detract from those achievements.
However, the world champions are failing in their quest to be “consistently great like the All Blacks”, as Erasmus tweeted late last year.
Since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup, the Springboks have won 11 out of 19 Tests (up until the match against the Wallabies in Adelaide) for a win percentage of 58%.
Their longest winning streak has been four matches (two against the Lions and two against Argentina, all of which were played at home) while last year they suffered three consecutive defeats, including two Down Under to an average Australia side that they were expected to beat comfortably.
This year, the Boks beat Wales in a home Test series but suffered a first defeat by the Dragons on South African soil and, while they were dominant in dispatching the All Blacks in Mbombela, they then lost to the worst New Zealand team since 1998 in front of a capacity crowd at Ellis Park when the Freedom Cup was there for the taking.
A ‘Boklash’ was expected against a Wallabies team that had been hammered by the Pumas in Argentina, yet the world champions were absolutely awful in Adelaide, before redeeming themselves in Sydney a week later.
Compare this to what the All Blacks achieved after winning the 2011 World Cup. From 2012 to 2015, they won 48 of 53 Tests (91%), three Rugby Championship titles and became the first team to defend the World Cup. They took their game to the next level and are regarded by many as the greatest rugby team ever.
The Springboks are striving to achieve similar greatness. However, as a team that often produces their best when their backs are against the wall, they appear to struggle mentally when going into a match as favourites, and at times they’ve moved away from their (winning) pragmatic approach in an attempt to ‘play more rugby’, much to the opposition’s delight.
The Boks also haven’t helped themselves with some questionable selection decisions this year. Nienaber made 14 changes to the starting XV for the second Test against Wales in Bloemfontein, which contributed towards a historic loss. It was done with next year’s World Cup in mind, but instead of giving fringe players a fair opportunity to perform and gain Test experience, they were almost set up to fail, having not played together as combinations before.
Nienaber’s decision to start Jospeh Dweba at hooker ahead of Malcolm Marx and Duane Vermeulen (who hadn’t played since the URC semi-finals) at No 8 against the All Blacks at Ellis Park also backfired badly, and by the time they left the field, the Boks were 15-0 down.
Erasmus and Nienaber will always be lauded for winning the World Cup and beating the Lions, but it should not grant them immunity from criticism, as some seem to believe. Mistakes have been made and results have not been good enough, especially for a team striving for greatness.
