LONG READ 'With near-religious conviction, how good does it feel to be a Bok fan?'

On the eve of South Africa’s 18-12 win over New Zealand in Cape Town, Scotty Stevenson was heaping praise on Rassie Erasmus. Speaking on SENZ Radio, the broadcaster, writer and passionate All Blacks supporter called Erasmus “colourful, innovative, imaginative.”

“What he’s been most clever in doing is giving his Test match bench an identity,” Stevenson added, stating Erasmus has created a sense of “purpose” for South Africa’s so-called Bomb Squad and a “personality that suggests to them they are the difference makers in the game. That is an insanely clever piece of man management from Rasssie Erasmus.”

This was some turnaround from Stevenson who, only the week before, compared Erasmus to Star Wars’ Jabba the Hutt and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from 1984 movie Dune. But even more surprising than this about-face was what came next.

“Meanwhile, back in New Zealand, our attitude to Test rugby is who is going to start,” Stevenson, now in full flow, continued. “Who is going to be in jerseys one to 15. I think we need to change our mindset around Test match rugby, accept it is a matchday 23, accept players can have just as much impact for 20, 25 or 30 minutes as players can have for 60 or 80. That is the turnaround I want to see from the All Blacks these next few months and leading into the November tour.”

Do you remember the ignominy of Kamp Staaldraad, the persistent nagging doubt that meant even the most passionate among us knew, deep in our marrow, the Boks were not the preeminent outfit on the planet?

Hold the phone. Did a Kiwi really suggest that the mighty All Blacks could learn a thing or two from the Springboks? Did he really position burly meat-eating Saffas at the cutting edge of rugby philosophy while their New Zealand counterparts scramble just to get a feel of their coattails? Is this clear proof rugby’s power structure has well and truly changed?
Of course, one pundit’s opinion can’t shift tectonic plates on their own, but Stevenson’s view is a staggering one for South African rugby fans with memories that go further back than 2019.

Do you remember the 57-0 drubbing by the All Blacks in 2017 which was the fifth defeat in a run of six straight losses in the rivalry? Do you remember when the Springboks were ranked seventh in the world and were leaders in nothing? Do you remember the ignominy of Kamp Staaldraad, the persistent nagging doubt that meant even the most passionate among us knew, deep in our marrow, the Boks were not the preeminent outfit on the planet?

The iconic Siya Kolisi skippered South Africa to back-to-back Rugby World Cup triumphs (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)

Oh sure, there were good times. Between 2007 and 2009 the class of Matfield, Habana, Burger and Du Preez were unquestionably the most complete team and deserved their titles. But this was less a dynasty and more of a golden generation. Before then there were Tri Nations victories to celebrate in 2004 and 1998. But again these were blips rather than changes in fortune. If you were a Springboks fan before 2019, and recall even further back to the dawn of the professional age in 1995, then you’ll know most of this timeline is littered with feelings of inadequacy and circumspection

These past two triumphs over the All Blacks prove the case. In the first Test at Ellis Park, where the haka was met with chest thumping noise rather than reverential silence, New Zealand held a deserved 10-point lead with little more than 10 minutes to play. For most of my life this would have meant one thing and one thing only: a win for the All Blacks.

New Zealand had never lost four games in a row against any other country. This should feel seismic. That it doesn’t, and simply feels correct, is an astonishing turn.

But the past is a foreign country and even before Ofa Tu’ungafasi was yellow-carded a different outcome loomed over the horizon. After Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams scored their tries to secure the comeback, the overwhelming sensation was relief. Not because it felt as if the Springboks got away with one but rather because their victory confirmed the new status quo.

The second Test a week later followed a similar pattern. New Zealand held the early advantage and should have been further ahead by the time Malcolm Marx entered the scene in the second half. Once that man mountain from Germiston joined the party momentum swung in his team’s favour. Another come-from-behind victory felt just as inevitable as the first.

What’s behind this change? New Zealand had never lost four games in a row against any other country. This should feel seismic. That it doesn’t, and simply feels correct, is an astonishing turn. In his recent RugbyPass column, former Springboks coach Jake White called the All Blacks “naive” and there’s no doubt their powers have faded. A diluted Super Rugby, a new coach finding his feet and the team’s inability to select foreign-based players have all been cited as reasons for their decline. But that only half explains what’s going on here.

Erasmus has created an environment bursting with belief. His players have an almost religious devotion to the cause and are utterly convinced of his leadership. When new players join the team, they too play without hesitancy or confusion. Even when it doesn’t work, as was the case when Ben-Jason Dixon cost his team two tries in the first New Zealand Test, both the individual and the collective are able to roll with the punches and rebrand mistakes as lessons. That unwavering confidence is conveyed in the way the players and coaches engage with the press and public. In the eyes of South African fans they’ve become humble gods. With absolute conviction in what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, is it any wonder they can face down the All Blacks and be wholly certain the game will go their way?

More pragmatic rugby reasons are likely just as important. That bench, their core of senior players and the depth of talent have all played their part. But faith, abstract though it may be, has a power of its own and should not be discounted. And though this won’t last forever, and one day Kolisi will hang up his boots and Erasmus will lose his edge, let us savour what we have now, with belief there’s still more to come.