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Springboks assembling a ferocious squad

By Tom Vinicombe
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus (Photo by David Rogers / Getty Images)

It’s been a significantly improved year for South Africa’s four Super Rugby franchises.

The Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers are all in the hunt for a playoffs spot and it’s expected that three of the teams will probably make the cut.

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The Lions have not performed to the same standards as the last few years but the Stormers and the Bulls have already earned more points in 2019 than they managed last year. The Sharks are nearing that point too.

Whilst relative performance may have improved, however, there’s still restlessness out of the former republic the Super Rugby franchises are playing a brand a rugby that won’t yield great results at the next level up.

2018 brought mixed results for the Springboks. A 50% win-record does not make for pretty reading for one of world rugby’s most historically successful teams.

The highlight of the year was the team’s successful venture to New Zealand – besting the All Blacks at home, 36-34.

That win marked the first time that the Springboks had successfully knocked over the All Blacks in New Zealand in nine years. The British & Irish Lions had managed a win the year prior but other than that result, travelling teams have had very little luck in New Zealand over the last decade.

Outside of that victory, however, results didn’t give Springboks fans a whole lot to smile about.

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The end of year tour was particularly disheartening, with the Boks falling to both England and Wales whilst securing wins against France and Scotland.

Still, while there are concerns about the Super Rugby sides’ style of play and last year didn’t exactly go to plan, South African rugby supporters should be feeling optimistic about their team’s chances in 2019.

The constant stream of top-level players leaving the Rainbow Nation has made it difficult for them to maintain high standards in their Super Rugby sides, but South Africa doesn’t need 140 high-calibre players to put together an impressive test team.

The Sharks, Lions, Bulls and Stormers all have their weaknesses in key positions, but together they can amass a formidable side.

Power and athleticism in the forwards

Scrummaging has always been of South Africa’s strengths but their front rows have sometimes lacked the ball skills to compete with the best in the world. Whilst subtle touches may still not be Spingboks tight five players’ fortes, they’re also no slouches.

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Malcolm Marx is arguably the best hooker in world rugby right now and the Lions have performed noticeably worse without his experienced frame on the field. He has the athleticism of the likes of Dane Coles and Codie Taylor in New Zealand and the power of Ireland’s Rory Best.

The locking pair of Eben Etzebeth and either Lood de Jager (should he have sufficiently recovered from his shoulder surgery) or RG Snyman is as confrontational and aggressive as they come. Etzebeth, in particular, is the abrasive kind of player that every team needs at least a few of.

In the loose forwards, the Springboks are as well stocked as any other nation. In captain Siya Kolisi they have one of the most athletic flankers in the world and a man who leads by example. Kolisi has been one of the Stormers’ form players this season. He will be well supported by the likes of South African based loosies Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen and Warren Whiteley. There are other prodigious talents like Kwagga Smith also doing the rounds in Super Rugby.

Meanwhile, overseas, former Springbok Marcell Coetzee is putting in some monster performances for Ulster and there have been suggestions that he could be in the mix too. Francois Louw has been his typical self for Bath and may have one more international season in him.

Fully fit players will strengthen the backs

The halfbacks are an area of particular strength, especially after factoring in foreign based Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach. Sale’s de Klerk was considered by most to be the league’s best halfback of the season. Reinach has been on-form too and was officially named the Premiership scrumhalf of the season.

Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies will steer the team from the 10 jersey. Both players have high ceilings but they’ve struggled to live up to their early promise. Jantjies has never quite looked at home in test rugby, even though he’s guided the Lions to three straight Super Rugby finals. Pollard will likely get the playmaker role from day 1, but injuries have inhibited his development.

Rassie Erasmus favoured a midfield combination of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel at the end of 2018, but Lukhanyo Am has been performing so well for the Sharks that there may be a changing of the guard. Am was used in last year’s Rugby Championship and started in the victory over the All Blacks but missed the Springbok’s end of year tour due to a fractured arm sustained in that very match. His Sharks midfield partner, André Esterhuizen, will likely be the fourth centre selected.

The Springboks have countless options in the outside backs. Willie le Roux will continue to offer the Boks a second playmaker from the back field – but local talents such as Curwin Bosch have also done enough to suggest they shouldn’t be too far off a test call-up.

Per usual, wing is an area of strength of South Africa – although also one of relative inexperience. Kriel was sometimes used on the wing last year but when Erasmu has access to the likes of Aphiwe Dyanti, S’busiso Nkosi and recent Sevens convert Rosko Specman, you have to imagine that outright speed will be the flavour in the wider channels.

Further afield, Cheslin Kolbe has been one of the form wings in European rugby – though questions will inevitably be asked about his size.

All in all, there’s enough depth in the Springboks squad to seriously challenge for the World Cup. Their key players have been on-form in Super Rugby and it would be a huge mistake to write off the South African team’s title credentials.

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Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

18 Go to comments
A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

18 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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