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Are the Springboks now a better team than when they won the World Cup?
By Josh Raisey
A lot has changed in the South Africa set-up since Siya Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in October.
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A large chunk of Rassie Erasmus’ backroom staff have moved on, with the new coaching team beginning to impress their thumbprint on the Springboks, chiefly new attack coach Tony Brown who has brought far more width to their game.
With this change in style has come a change in playing personnel too, with the world champions on the foothills of creating their new squad for 2027 by introducing plenty of new faces to the Test arena over the past months.
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The Springboks are certainly different since the World Cup, but are they necessarily better than they were in 2023 when they were crowned world champions for a record fourth time?
That was the question posed by Hanyani Shimange on the latest episode of RugbyPass TV’s The Boks Office to which Springbok centurion Jean de Villiers listed the reasons why that may well be the case. Though he did not definitively say whether they are better or not, he made a compelling case.
“I think we’ve evolved,” the former Springboks captain said on the podcast.
“There’s way more threat from an attacking point of view. You’ve got so much more variety, so defending I think is far more difficult. But we always have the capability of reverting back to our traditional strength, like we saw at the weekend with the maul. So it really does make us extremely dangerous.
“Plus, add to that the depth we have. You now go into a game – just take the flyhalf situation – you have Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], Manie [Libbok], Handre [Pollard], three totally different flyhalves that offer you something totally different. So you can even go into a game with a certain strategy and change it up halfway through the game.”
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Nope. Ireland beat them last year and this year.
So a 0% record against Ireland last year and a 50% record this year, which in your mind proves that SA are not better this year? Not sure anyone understands what you are saying.
But we can probably agree it would be great to see Ireland get better.
I don't think the question should be whether the Boks are better than they were last year? The playing structures are changing although the the team is still much the same. So i don't think better, I just think evolving is more accurate or more evolved . The real question should be, are we more consistent? It has been a problem of ours for years as seen with the Ireland tests and will definitely be with the 2 tests against the AB's. The Irish and the AB's are where we need to measure ourselves.
Difficult to say. I don't think the current Bok team is necessarily better.
What is better is the fact that the Boks are evolving their game to become more attacking.
But the new style brought in by Brown is far from perfect at the moment.
The AB's vs Boks test will be the big test for their new style of play. Mistakes and risk comes with flamboyant and attacking play.
The AB's are masters of counter attack and scoring tries off opposition mistakes.
The 2 upcoming tests in SA will be the litmus test for the Boks new style of play.
And I think these 2 tests are going to be very close and very intense.
I never write of any AB team.
Still completely rely on the incompetence of refs to get wins they clearly don't deserve - just like the RWC.
At the RWC, it was Barnes. Now it is Pearce and Whitehouse. So no change at all it seems.
Clearly still the third best team in the world after Ireland and France.
Love it when the Bok haters get emotional. Sign of good days ahead for the Boks.
Poor little naaijill. Still the same broken record. Getting bored* on the backseat, sonny?
*It's a pun ;)
So you're saying change only happens when South Africa loses? What a twat! I pray you're not married or have any kids, you're a kak role model.
Who's this guy!? Sounds like he's part of MAGA with that level of conspiracy theory. "Clearly still the 3rd best team in the world"...when they are literally ranked number 1 lol.
Shame DC. Hope you have a shoulder to cry on. Have you considered therapy maybe? Or you could share your delusion with Ben Smith on this very website.
Better? Not sure. All I know is that they are still very, very good.
Yes.
Its a tricky question. Its like the whose is the best historical team question. Rugby IQ evolves. It is generally agreed that the 2015 Kiwis were best ever. But would the 2015 team beat the 2023 SA team given that rugby IQ is generally smarter?
Likewise I would say that the SA-Ireland matches were arguably at least a match for the world cup match with both teams arguably more advanced. So SA are better now than last year. Last year they were looking at only counter attacking tries to stay with the big threat France in their Knock out run. I think the current team would fare better in that match.
We will see how good against NZ. I have a feeling the Wallabies matches were controlled, almost the way the Boks dispatched Scotland in the RWC pool. But the NZ match will be all-out like the France QF.