Humbling of All Blacks has left Springboks with no choice

Ordinarily a performance like that, arguably the greatest ever by any Springboks team, would provide answers to just about every lingering question. Instead, even while Rassie Erasmus and his players were basking in the afterglow of what they’d just pulled off, they must have all had the same thought: what comes next?

There were seven changes to the starting XV from the one that fired blanks in Auckland the week before. Gone was the dependability of Handré Pollard at fly-half, the solidity of Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende in midfield and the steady, guiding hand of Willie le Roux at fullback.

In their place came a maverick hot-shot, a centre pair with a fondness for panache over pragmatism, and a young man in the backfield who only two years ago was deemed a liability on defence. It was an exciting but potentially volatile mix of ingredients. Would all those bold flavours work together?

We got our answer within a few seconds of South Africa’s first attack. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu received a flat pass and bolted forward at pace. With Damian Willemse and Canan Moodie cutting shapes outside him, he had options off the shoulder. Aphelele Fassi joined the line, stitching things together and offering angles of his own.

This was, by a distance, the most enterprising, dynamic and incisive backline show under the Erasmus-Tony Brown axis. Tony-ball, last week a punchline to a recurring joke, finally clicked.

What comes next? Surely it has to be more of the same. Because as dependable and solid and steady as the old guard have been, this is simply too exciting an opportunity to pass up. To quote the parlance of our times, let the kids cook.

Even after the injuries to Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Fassi in the first half, the backline continued to sparkle. Willemse showed his all-round class, shifting to full-back but still serving as a second playmaker. Manie Libbok demonstrated a mix of composure and guile, unfurling cross-field kicks while also playing the simple ball when required to do so. When André Esterhuizen joined the party he fulfilled his role as battering ram but proved he’s no one-trick pony, spiralling a long-range pass off his left hand to set up a try for Cheslin Kolbe shortly after the half-time break

Canan Moodie deserves a mention too. At just 22, he already looks like a player around whom an attack can be built. His pace, timing and aerial prowess gave the Boks both incision and security. He embodies what this backline represents: youthful fearlessness combined with elite execution.

Ever since Erasmus took charge of a faltering outfit in 2018, the group has constantly adapted. In 2019 they began to forge their dynasty through Pollard’s control, De Allende’s gainline graft, and Le Roux’s experience. The 2023 side evolved with Willemse at 15, but could still rely on Kriel’s marshalling of the rush defence. They could punish the opposition on occasion. Any team with Cheslin Kolbe on the wing would always pose a threat. But it was their staying power, their refusal to go away, their ferocity when defending their own line; this is what set them apart from the chasing pack.

This is a different Springboks side and, if they’re given the freedom to grow, could be unlike anything we’ve seen before. Ethan Hooker, the same age as Moodie, cut loose on the counter. Grant Williams was electric as a makeshift wing. Had Cobus Reinach not had a tricky time at the back of the ruck, spilling the ball on multiple occasions, the scoreline might have been even greater in South Africa’s favour.

Of course, the forwards’ contribution can’t be ignored. The tight five’s punch was evident as the scrum continued its dominance over the All Blacks. The line-out, creaky at first, found its groove later in the piece. And the breakdown, a glaring weak point in the operation for more than a year, at last functioned as it should. With Jasper Wiese – an actual No. 8 – providing go-forward, and Siya Kolisi cleaning rucks with the efficiency of a power washer on turbo cycle, the playmakers out wide had the requisite front-foot ball they craved.

And this is perhaps the most encouraging aspect: South Africa married their traditional strengths with a bold new backline philosophy. Too often in the past, a choice seemed to exist between brawn and flair. Against Australia in the humiliating loss in Johannesburg, they were guilty of overplaying. Against New Zealand in Auckland, they are far too conservative. Here the balance was struck. Here, a vision of what is possible was laid bare.

So what comes next? There’s no question these combinations deserve more time to gel. Australian rugby has been transformed by a midfield duo that marries Len Ikitau’s know-how and the raw athleticism of Joseph Sua’ali’i. Why shouldn’t the Boks double down on a Moodie-Willemse axis that looks eerily similar to what the Wallabies are working with? Continuity will only sharpen their timing and instinct.

The temptation, of course, will be to revert to what Erasmus knows best if the wheels come off for a game. Pollard’s steady boot, Kriel’s defensive organisation. But we know what we get with these players and there’s no harm in using them in a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency role. But to do so would be to waste the spark lit in Wellington. This wasn’t a fluke. It was a glimpse of what the Boks can be if they embrace a more expansive, modern template while retaining their muscle memory up front.

Erasmus has never been afraid to make bold calls. In 2019 he reinvented the 6-2 bench split. In 2023 he leaned into chaos and came away with another World Cup. Now boldness demands something else: not chopping and changing, but showing faith. Faith in Libbok’s vision and the game-changing potential of Feinberg-Mngomezulu, in Willemse’s adaptability, in Moodie’s precociousness, in Esterhuizen’s rounded game, in the zeal from broken play demonstrated by Williams and Hooker.

The Springboks have already proved they can bludgeon anyone into submission. In Wellington, they proved they can dazzle too. The challenge for Erasmus is to keep rolling with that blueprint, because rugby’s most feared team may just have found a way to become its most entertaining as well.