Heyneke making dreams come true

The Springboks of 2013 under coach Heyneke Meyer have shown steady growth, both in terms of their playing style and in terms of results, which augurs well less than two years before the next World Cup.

Meyer's squad returned to South Africa yesterday after winning all three Tests on their tour to Britain and France. They beat Six Nations champions Wales 24-15, Scotland 28-0 and France 19-10.

Their win in Paris on Saturday was the Boks' first victory away from home against the French since 1997. It also took their season's winning ratio to 83%.

In 2012, the Boks won all three northern hemisphere tour matches as well. They have now played six Tests in the north under Meyer and won all six. That is another good sign heading to a World Cup that will be played in England.

The last time the Boks returned with consecutive 100% win records on tour in the north was under Nick Mallett in 1997, following the 1996 "perfect" tour under the hand of André Markgraaff.

But it has taken 15 years to effect a repeat, while the two losses the Boks suffered in their 12 Tests this year (both to the All Blacks) constitute their second-best losing return in the professional era.

Mallett's 1998 team only lost a single Test - to England - taking 11 out of 12.

Meyer also moved closer to his ideal team, with 10 players participating in every Test this year as the Boks built on their solid set-piece and defensive foundations of 2012 by adding more cut-throat attacking to their armoury.

Last year, Meyer continually reiterated that he had too little time to improve all aspects of the Bok playbook and that layers of attack would only be added gradually. He was true to his word.

In 2012, the Boks scored 23 tries and 245 points in 12 matches. This year, they have scored 47 tries and 404 points in the same number of matches. Admittedly their schedule was a little easier in June, when they played Italy, an under-strength Scotland and Samoa.

But the Boks scored four tries in Australia for the first time since 2002 on their way to a record 38-12 win in Brisbane. They scored nine tries against Argentina at Soccer City as they meted out a record 73-13 Rugby Championship hiding.

Even in defeat, against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, they scored four tries. The Springboks were the first team to breach the All Black line four times in three years.

Meyer also had the vision to realise that the breakdown was an area that needed an overhaul.

He cajoled his bosses at the South African Rugby Union to give him the budget to contract Richie Gray, a little-known Scottish breakdown expert.

Gray's work has been immense. Not only is the Boks' loose trio exceptional at the breakdown, but so is the entire team.

The next challenge lies in beating the All Blacks. But that is something the Boks of 2014 look likely to do.