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'It could be the end of the Springboks as a superpower' - South African rugby's darkest night ever
They say it is darkest before the dawn.
That may appear to be true in rugby too, as the Springboks’ ‘darkest ever’ day came two years before being crowned World Champions in Yokohama.
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It took a remarkable turnaround from Rassie Erasmus to transform the Springbok squad from doormats to the penthouse of World Rugby.
But during the darkest moment, none of that was foreseeable after the Springboks had been thrashed 57-0 in Albany by the All Blacks, with many esteemed rugby writers in South Africa questioning whether things would ever get better.
57-0. Biggest defeat ever to the All Blacks. Hang your head in shame @Springboks
— Brenden Nel (@BrendenNel) September 16, 2017
South African rugby writer Brenden Nel labelled the loss worse than the shock pool match loss to Japan in 2015 in a summary for SuperSport.
“There has been Wellington in 2011 when Bryce Lawrence sent us packing from the World Cup and Brighton when Japan rocked the rugby world with their incredible feat. But at both there was always a glimmer of hope,” Nel wrote.
“Last year in Italy I believed the Boks had hit rock bottom and like many others, I was impressed by how they rallied this year under Warren Whiteley and won five tests in a row.
“But in New Zealand against the All Blacks, there is literally no place to hide. Famous for ruthlessly exploiting any weakness, this Bok team has many.”
The All Blacks had recorded their biggest ever win over South Africa while holding the visitors scoreless, topping the prior year’s 57-15 win in Durban.
“This may be the Springboks darkest night ever. But the real question is if there is a dawn,” Nel wrote.
“If lessons aren’t learnt from it, it could really spell the end of the Springboks as a superpower in world rugby.”
57-0. #springboks that was pathetic. Just pathetic. #NZLvRSA
— Ryan Vrede (@Ryan_Vrede) September 16, 2017
Disgraceful by @Springboks. 57-0. Don't know how to feel: embarrased, angry, shocked? What now Saru? @IOLsport #SAvsNZ
— Jacques vdWesthuyzen (@jacq_west) September 16, 2017
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Nobody has any idea how much the Boks are hurting. I watched the game that night again.Nothing wrong with our effort. We were outplayed.
— Brendan Venter (@BrendanVenter) September 17, 2017
Herman Mostert from Sport24 called the loss the ‘worst ever’, pinpointing the back three as a known weakness that many feared wouldn’t be up to the task.
“The Boks were hopelessly exposed out wide, with Rhule, in particular, proving to be a weak link.
“The Cheetahs flyer missed as many as nine tackles and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that he’s not the best wing South Africa can call on.”
Mostert wasn’t impressed with coach Allister Coetzee’s demeanour in the post-match press conference, who tried to put a positive spin on the result.
“Coetzee’s failure to acknowledge obvious flaws in the aftermath of Saturday’s bloodbath was an insult to Springbok fans.
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“His choice to instead focus on the positives had irked many, and rightfully so. Coetzee sounds like a man in denial.”
Luckily for the Springboks, SARU made the decision to appoint Erasmus as Director of Rugby at the end of that calendar year.
How can Coetzee's position even be a debate in professional sport with this return in 2016/17? Historic 1st ever loss 2 Ire in SA, Record loss 2 Ire in Dublin. Lost 2 Arg & Italy away. 57-0 & 57-15 to NZ, 2x loss 2 Wales & worst ever year in @Springboks history 4/12 in 2016
— Mark Keohane (@mark_keohane) January 31, 2018
Coach not good enough and the players picked not good enough. World Cup is not played at Newlands against All Blacks a week after they've already won it … Dublin was the measure of Albany's accuracy & Dublin was as disastrous & damning as Albany's 57-0 #Springboks
— Mark Keohane (@mark_keohane) November 11, 2017
Another hopeless showing in Dublin in November which resulted in a 38-3 loss to Ireland may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, with Nick Mallett going on a rant on SuperSport saying that they had essentially hit rock bottom.
“We lost by 57-0 to New Zealand and afterward we heard the coaching staff saying we could take some positives out of it.
“I’ll tell you what, I cannot see any positives to be taken out of this game. I don’t care how positive you are as a personality; there are no positives out of this game.
Coetzee was eventually forced out with Erasmus taking over the team for the 2018 season and the rest became history, with the Springboks growing under Erasmus over 18 months to take home the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
But when it all seemed lost back in 2017, no one could imagine the Springboks holding the William Webb Ellis trophy again.
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments