FILE - The Springboks celebrate with the Webb-Ellis trophy after beating the All Blacks in the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. FILE - The Springboks celebrate with the Webb-Ellis trophy after beating the All Blacks in the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. Picture: Matthieu Mirville / DPPI via AFP)
It’s still impossible to watch replays of the Springboks’ 2023 Rugby World Cup playoff matches without feeling a bit of anxiety and tension.
The Springboks really put South Africans through the ringer with three one-point victories in a row in the quarter-finals against France, semi-finals against England and again in the final against the All Blacks.
It was the most extraordinary show of fight and determination, as the Springboks refused to go quietly into the night, battling the odds to win an unprecedented fourth Webb-Ellis title.
On Monday, the country celebrates the one-year anniversary of that Bok triumph over New Zealand in Paris, when Siya Kolisi became only the second captain in the history of the sport to lift back-to-back World Cups.
Chasing the Sun 2 gave us amazing insight about the trials and tribulations the team faced, and what the Boks had to overcome to do the business. Malcolm Marx’s tournament ending injury, Rassie Erasmus’ calculated rant after the Ireland defeat, the struggles against England and losing hooker Bongi Mbonambi after two minutes in the final were some of story lines that captivated a nation.
That Monday after the final, there were quite a few of us sleeping at out desks, but it was the most beautiful babelas.
However, a year on from that final, Erasmus and his team are already looking towards the 2027 showpiece in Australia. While the country is still basking in the glory of being world champions, the rugby’s mad genius has already started to put in the building blocks to try and do an historic “threepeat”.
Erasmus used 35 players during the recently completed Rugby Championship and 49 in total in the 10 Tests the Boks played thus far in 2024.
Of those players, Erasmus has blooded a number of youngsters, while also backing a few players who had only played a handful of Tests over the last few years.
Players such as flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels and loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp have been given a chance to grow in the Bok jersey, while forgotten stars Aphelele Fassi and Elrigh Louw showed the Springboks well is far from dry.
The Springboks have lost just two of the 10 Test they have played this year, even though Erasmus has rotated the team throughout the Test season. The Boks only suffered narrow defeats against Ireland at home and Argentina away, which saw them lose their No 1 ranking.
Going into their November tour, where the Springboks will play matches against Scotland, England and Wales, Erasmus is likely to expose more youngsters to the rigours of Test rugby without the fear of sacrificing results.
The depth that Erasmus is building is scary, considering that many star players such as Damian Willemse, Lood de Jager, Faf de Klerk, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and possibly Frans Malherbe will miss the traditional end-of-year-tour because of injury.
Erasmus is also trying to evolve the Boks’ gameplan, especially with the news laws that have been proposed.
After winning the previous two Rugby World Cup titles with a “skop, skiet and donner” approach, relying heavily on their physicality, defence and set-piece prowess, the Springboks have added New Zealander Tony Brown as the new attack coach to try and broaden their horizons.
While it’s still early days in the process, the signs are already there for all to see, while the Rugby Championship statistics also back up these claims.
The Springboks are carrying more, making more offloads, beating more defenders and making more line breaks.
The Springboks haven’t stood still after their World Cup triumph, and there is a feeling that the best is yet to come as they head towards another World Cup in three years’ time.
@JohnGoliath82