Of all the South African United Rugby Championship (URC) wins this past weekend, the Lions’ come-from-behind effort to beat Munster was my favourite.
It was a big result and showcased everything that has been lacking with the locals this season: attitude.
Finally the Lions played for each other, played the small moments as if they were big moments and played the biggest moments with due respect in the final five minutes.
The word “clutch” is in vogue in sport to describe an individual or team’s ability to navigate or negotiate the big plays and it’s the only way to describe the Lions’ last-quarter display.
It represented a huge mental victory, as much as it did a historic first win against one of the Irish provincial giants.
The Lions lost their inspirational captain Jaco Kriel to injury leading into the match and trailed 14-0 after as many minutes.
My expectation, based on what I have seen from the team this season, was that they would fold in the second half. How absolutely marvellous that they didn’t and that flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse held his nerve in converting three big-pressure kicks in the final 15 minutes.
Hendrikse is just 20 years old, but he is as talented a No 10 as there has been in the junior ranks in the past few years in SA. Expect bigger things from him in the next few seasons, and don’t be surprised to see him and his scrumhalf brother Jaden Hendrikse combine at halfback for the Springboks at some stage.
This past weekend was the best yet for SA’s URC quartet. The Bulls produced their finest home performance of the season to dismantle Wales’s Scarlets, the Stormers were sublime in how they dismantled Cardiff and the Sharks, despite not getting out of second gear, still won 38-6 against Zebre.
Then there was the effort of the Lions to make it eight South African home wins from eight starts in the past fortnight. It was just the tonic South African supporters sought after the country’s indifferent start to the competition, and it was also the type of fortnight that would have inspired the national coaching set-up because so many younger players stood tallest.
Stormers loose forward Evan Roos and his Bulls counterpart Elrigh Louw were two of the individual standouts, with veteran Bulls flanker Marcell Coetzee another who reminded that there is still fight in the older dog. The Stormers duo of Damian Willemse, at inside centre, and Warrick Gelant, at fullback, was as hot on attack as the temperatures in Cape Town, and with each successful outing they add to the depth of the national squad.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber’s immediate challenge of 2022 is a home three-Test series against Wales and, if the past Six Nations is any barometer, it is going to be roadkill day for Nienaber and his Boks.
Wales, with the exception of a decent performance against champions France, were awful and their URC teams have been abysmal. Even their national under-20s took a beating.
It is looking bleak for Wales and bright for SA, and there will never be a more generous time than the Welsh series to introduce those standout youngsters to Test rugby.
Player management in 2022 will be critical to the Springboks’ 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC) defence and, while Nienaber in 2021 leant heavily on the tried and tested 2019 World Cup winners, this year is an opportunity to strategically rest those senior players from certain Tests, be circumspect with their game time and pick those South African players from the URC who are running hot.
Mark Keohane is the founder of Keo.co.za, a multiple award-winning sports writer and the digital content director at Highbury Media. Twitter @mark_keohane
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