The Springboks are not playing this Saturday but Scotland are playing — and their Summer Series showdown with France in France has taken on more significance after the Scotchman beat France at Murrayfield a week ago.
Title holders South Africa are grouped with Scotland, Ireland, Romania and Tonga at the 2023 World Cup and since the draw was made, all the talk has been of Ireland and South Africa.
Ireland, the Boks’ third pool match, is the one that has been spoken up the most. Scotland hasn’t even managed an afterthought. That changed within the space of 72 hours, with Scotland’s remarkable 25-21 win against France in Edinburgh and the Bok World Cup squad non-selections of Lood de Jager, Handré Pollard and Lukhanyo Am because of injury.
De Jager’s IP will be missed when it comes to line-out organisation, the calling of the line-outs and the kickoff receive formations. He is ahead of the pack in that regard. Physically, there are quality players who will slot in at lock, but his absence is a blow.
An even bigger loss is the No.10/13 axis of Pollard and AM. Pollard, at his best, is the ideal World Cup-type flyhalf and AM, as a 13, has no equal in the Bok set-up among No.13s and is among an elite group of three vying for World’s best No.13.
To say the Boks will miss him is the understatement of the international rugby season.
Scotland, on Sunday September 10, is huge for the Springboks and the Scotchman served notice that they won’t be in France to provide an entrée for South Africa’s match up with Ireland, who along with France have been the form teams in Test rugby in the last two years.
South Africa has only lost five times in 28 Tests against Scotland, but the two teams have only met twice during the Rassie Erasmus/Jacques Nienaber era that started in 2018. Both matches were played at Murrayfield, in 2018 and 2021. Pollard kicked 18 points in a 26-20 win in 2018 and the 2021 Test produced a nervous first 50 minutes before the Boks won 30-15.
The winning habit in between World Cup cycles has not materialised, but the comeback has been that all will be good come the World Cup. Pollard and AM were a duo that made one feel all would be good.
The Scotchman have never been the easiest of opponents for the Boks and France have also had their battles against Scotland, winning five and losing four of their most recent nine internationals since the 2019 World Cup.
Scotland’s players know what it takes to beat France in France. They did it in 2021 at the Stade de France, the venue for the World Cup final.
The Boks can’t afford any hiccup against Scotland and this Saturday’s Test will be the most accurate indicator of just what awaits the Boks in Marseille onSeptember 10.
France, who sent a weakened team to Murrayfield, raced into a 21-3 halftime lead and then were kept scoreless despite having a one player advantage for the last 23 minutes.
All the best French players will be back for the return fixture this weekend and Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has picked a line-up that will be close to the one that lines up against the Boks.
Ironically, there are four South Africans in the starting XV in props WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman and wingers Kyle Steyn and Duhan van der Merwe.
These are nervous times for the Boks.
The Boks, in many respects, have lived off the feeding frenzy that was the 32-12 humiliation of England in the 2019 World Cup final.
In between the lows have been as consistent as the good afternoons. There was the British and Irish Series win in 2021, which was played out exclusively at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town and done with no fans allowed at the stadium because of Covid.
Since then there have been two wins against the All Blacks, one in Australia and one in Nelspruit, a defeat against England at Twickenham and a win at Twickenham, defeats in Dublin and Marseille to Ireland and France respectively, a historic first ever Test defeat in South Africa against Wales and a home defeat against the All Blacks. There were also two successive defeats against the Wallabies in Australia in 2022.
The bad has been too present, with seven defeats in the last 17 Tests.
The winning habit in between World Cup cycles has not materialised, but the comeback has been that all will be good come the World Cup. Pollard and AM were a duo that made one feel all would be good.
They are gone, at least for now, and that feel good factor has also gone, at least for now.
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.