The Autumn Internationals Preview: South Africa

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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.

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.

Prediction
Glorious win vs the Barbarians; sad, dispiriting loss to England; slightly encouraging win over Italy, woe-inducing narrow loss to Wales.