The question most Springbok fans would have asked after the team’s defeat in the second Test in Bloemfontein against Wales would have been, ‘was it worth it?’
With the Rugby World Cup (RWC) perhaps higher on his list of priorities than he’d care to admit, coach Jacques Nienaber assembled a side that showed a whopping 14 changes from the starting team that scraped to victory in the first Test at Loftus.
He had much explaining to do before the Test and afterwards as his team suffered a late defeat.
The obvious question was why not secure the series win first before making wholesale changes for the final Test that would then be a dead rubber? The point Nienaber tried to bring across after defeat last weekend, was that they needed to see the players operate in a high-pressure environment. Which is fair enough if you’re shaping a squad for the RWC.
Still, it has left the Springboks in an undesirable position. One would have thought Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus, the director of rugby, would have learnt from the team’s 2018 experience against England.
Back then they did not want to be drawn into a final game shoot-out against the cunning of England coach Eddie Jones and opted to keep their changes to a minimum, after they scraped through in the first Test. Having won the second Test 23-12, thus securing the series, they made five changes to their starting team for the third Test at Newlands.
While coaches should absolutely be guided by the courage of their convictions, they have to guard against growing impervious to criticism or contrary views.
For that Test hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle, lock RG Snyman, left wing Aphiwe Dyantyi, centre André Esterhuizen, wing S’bu Nkosi and fullback Warrick Gelant were in the starting team, while Embrose Papier, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Thomas du Toit were on the bench. None of these players had earned five caps before that Test.
It was a calculated gamble but it was one worth taking as the Boks had already secured the Test series. England recorded victory in Cape Town but for Bok fans that defeat was not nearly as undigestible as the one suffered in Bloemfontein last weekend.
Many argue it was entirely avoidable. That Nienaber and Co are prepared to take that sort of risk, also tells us something of the mentality that exists in the Bok management.
Victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup and series success against the British & Irish Lions last year have emboldened them. They have has instilled the almost bulletproof belief that the Boks’ methods won’t just bring about the desired result on match day but that they have the bulk of the rugby public on board regardless of their strategy. The heights they reached in Wellington, Yokohama and Cape Town have allowed them to bank the goodwill Bok fans have had towards the team.
Though there was much criticism after last weekend’s defeat, one still got the sense fans were happy to countenance the strategies that were at play in the build-up. While coaches should absolutely be guided by the courage of their convictions, they have to guard against growing impervious to criticism or contrary views.
Nienaber and Co should press on with their plans for next year’s World Cup. They are the current custodians of Bok rugby and do what they think will serve the team and the brand best, not just at the RWC but in the moment. That’s why last weekend’s defeat has elevated in significance Saturday’s clash in Cape Town.
The Springboks should win the third Test and avoid humiliation but they carry more pressure into this Test than they ought to. As deeply unpalatable as defeat was near the outcrop that is Naval Hill, a series loss in the shadow of Table Mountain is a prospect too ghastly to contemplate.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.