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South Africa Schedule
vs Barbarians – Saturday November 5, 11:00pm (HKT)
vs England – Saturday November 12, 10:30pm (HKT)
vs Italy – Saturday November 19, 10:00pm (HKT)
vs Wales – Sunday November 26, 1:30am (HKT)
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South Africa are the ruined and ravaged shell of a once-great rugby side. If they were a fading Empire, they’d be the British: a once world-dominating regime reduced to also-rans by superior competition, weak leadership, and internal fights over whether foreigners are stealing their stuff.
Could the Autumn Internationals be the start of their journey to redemption?
What to look out for
Pat Lambie has been promoted to captain for this weekend’s test against the Barbarians. The 26-year-old Sharks fly-half is one of the glimmers of hope in the Boks camp, and this game is an audition for a permanent role as captain once Adriaan Strauss retires at the end of the season. He’ll be joined by other promising child stars such as lock Eben Etzebeth, Nizaam Carr, Cheslin Kolbe, and Ruan Combrinck.
In general though, look for any hint of improvement. The Boks struggled to find an identity during the Rugby Championship and their embarrassing near-series loss to Ireland in June. They’re tough and combative, but their game looks nothing like the fluid attacking style the Lions showed off during the Super Rugby season. Meanwhile, South African rugby as a whole is plagued by a dispiriting annual exodus of its top players to European club sides. Even Schalk Burger says the situation looks bleak.
Strengths
The Springbok aura that, according to Allister Coetzee at least, remains unbowed and undaunted by the team’s run of humiliating losses. Besides that, they’ve still got the size and stoicism to dominate opposing forward packs, and win boring grind-it-out defensive battles.
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Weaknesses
The Boks are only suffering from a lack of creativity, execution, skill, talent, defence, and offence. If they can fix those small things, they’ll be extremely competitive against England.
Coaching situation
In September Allister Coetzee sent an urgent plea for help to his rugby bosses, pretty much burning ‘SOS’ into the pitch at Ellis Park Stadium, and spawning the classic headline ‘Allister Coetzee: I need help‘. Since then the Boks coach has faced a mini-uprising from fans and endured calls for him to be replaced with Jake White, who was unceremoniously dumped as Springbok coach in 2008 after committing the grave sin of winning the Rugby World Cup. Coetzee will be coaching for his reputation, if not his job.
Player to watch
Eben Etzebeth. The young lock is terrifyingly huge, and once knocked out notorious ruffian Bismark du Plessis by cantering into him at half pace. He was one of the few bright spots for South Africa in the Rugby Championship and will look to maintain his run of form by reaping the souls of some hapless Brits, Italians and Welshmen in the coming weeks.
Best chance of an upset
There’s a skerrick of a chance they’ll beat England, which would help breathe new life into that great South African, Kiwi and Australian tradition of boasting insufferably about about how rugby is superior in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Prediction
Glorious win vs the Barbarians; sad, dispiriting loss to England; slightly encouraging win over Italy, woe-inducing narrow loss to Wales.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to comments