The final nail in the Boks’ coffin

With just a month to go to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the Springboks time as world champions will draw to a close unless they can defend their title in France.

Looking back on this era, it’s now clear that winning the World Cup did not bring world dominance for South African rugby.

Based on the context that 2020-23 has since provided, they can be remembered either as the team that took advantage of a fortuitous draw in 2019 or, if you believed that they were briefly the world’s best, the champions who quickly fell apart.

There is really no other option for them after three seasons without the big silverware and trophies that would validate anything different.

On the way up in 2018-19 it was easy for former coach and now Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus to be humble.

Without expectations to live up too, without a kingdom to defend, Erasmus was the likeable figure who coined the ‘what is pressure’ speech to keep his side’s perspective in check.

They carried the hopes and dreams of a nation but were priced as underdogs heading into the Rugby World Cup final.

Once they won the William Webb Ellis, a new beast emerged as egos became tied to the notion that the Springboks were in fact the world’s best.

But getting through Italy, Japan, Wales and England in a tournament doesn’t equate to world dominance. The shine of the Webb Ellis trophy only goes so far.

That kind of mantle would have to be earned by winning, winning and winning some more. A resounding follow up was required to stamp themselves as undisputed.

That should have been Erasmus’ own message publicly and privately to reset the bar and take South African rugby to new heights as they prepared for a new era as world champions.

Instead the Lion was caught up in the hype himself, drunk on a bit of pride believing the superlatives that were gushing out.

The fervour behind the Springboks reached astronomical levels in 2020 as they became a mythical legend that oozed a level of greatness that had not been seen on a rugby field. Such was the hubris.

There was no Erasmus on Twitter before the Rugby World Cup, but it became difficult to resist having just catapulted to stardom.

Cashing in on the newfound popularity and the gloss of the spoils, social media gave validation they sought. It helped reinforce the belief that South Africa were now world beaters without having to beat the world.

It was a dangerous place for any leader to be. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Sitting out an entire year of Test rugby, when everyone else got on with it, the number one ranked side sat on a perch with the ranking frozen for them like a boxer trying to pick the fights to keep his belt.

The loss in the first Test of the British & Irish Lions series was a watershed moment. It’s not worth rehashing, but it revealed a man with a different psyche, one that had perhaps lost perspective of his own ‘what is pressure’ speech.

Gatland’s side took them out of the comfy sauna they had been enjoying and tossed them into ice cold water, sparking a reaction that was ugly from which the fallout continued for a long time.

The Springboks responded to claim the series with a clutch Morne Steyn penalty goal, just minutes away from what could have been a drawn series.

There was not much humility in victory, but that would soon come in defeat as they travelled Down Under to finally show face in the annual tournament against New Zealand, Argentina, Australia.

Facing off against the seventh-ranked side in the world, the Boks were stunned by a Quade Cooper penalty on the buzzer. The next week they were brought down again by Australia, this time by a wider margin. A third consecutive loss came when they faced off against New Zealand.

Staring down the barrel of four straight losses, the All Blacks coughed up possession as they tried to wind down the clock with 10 seconds remaining. The Boks pulled off a great escape to stop the bleeding.

But the reason why this matters and why they were scrutinized more than any other team was because they were supposed to be the team proving their dominance, no one else had that responsibility.

Becoming number one and world champions came with extra spotlight that they themselves didn’t understand. The fans saw the criticism or questions from outside as an attack, rather than just a sign of being in a privileged position.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.”

The way they captured the crown left questions unanswered that they had the chance to answer. They wanted to ignore the house built on a foundation of cards and soon that house came crumbling down.

The Springboks’ world champion era from 2020-23 reads as follows; one Lions series, zero Rugby Championship titles, zero Freedom Cup wins, one Mandela Plate.

Against the big European nations England, France and Ireland they went one from four. Against close rivals Australia and New Zealand they went four from 10.

A return of five wins from 14 at 35 per cent against the other top five teams is not indicative of world dominance, far from it.

Over 29 Tests the longest winning streak was four, a long way off France’s run of 14 from 2021-23, and Ireland’s current streak of 11.

As the losses came in with regularity the source of blame became external, Erasmus prodding the fire occasionally on this deflection game.

The South African media and fans were all too happy to participate, instead of looking in the mirror to find answers.

But ultimately that didn’t help the team get anywhere or win any more games, only creating division and poor PR.

If the Springboks can capture back-to-back Rugby World Cups in France, it won’t change anything about this period where they underdelivered.

It will put more pressure on them to deliver and prove to the world that they are the best, which they didn’t do this time around.

Unfortunately this was a false dawn and SARU should be asking themselves why and how did this happen.