Only their egos can derail the Springboks in their quest to remain a dominant force in world rugby.
This is why it will be critical for head coach Rassie Erasmus and his assistants to keep the world champions grounded as they keep pushing to stay at the top of the food chain of international rugby.
The Boks are on a healthy run of victories in their past 19 Tests since losing to the All Blacks back in July last year in Auckland. They’ve won 17 clashes and only lost to Ireland twice – once in the World Cup and earlier this year in Durban – and will look to continue their impressive record in a couple of weeks against Argentina in the Rugby Championship.
It’s a 23 man game and @Springboks coaches have mastered this approach that’s why they are world champs. Our @AllBlacks coaches need to learn this lesson and fast, when was the last time the Boks still had a starting prop on in the last 10 mins of the game.
— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) September 7, 2024
How the Boks have seen off New Zealand and the Wallabies in the four Championship Tests has shown their domination of the southern hemisphere. They did this while Erasmus shuffled his matchday teams with no consistent selection across the four matches.
And that is where the Boks’ current strength is, the depth of the squad and how any single player can step into a certain role and it would not weaken the collective. But they will have to guard against overconfidence when the winning continues with a handful of Tests left this year.
After the famous double victory in Australia, the first in the professional era for the side, Erasmus already warned his side not to get too cocky before facing New Zealand. And they heeded their coach’s call in keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
That culminated in the back-to-back wins over the All Blacks on home soil and reinforced the Boks’ title as the top-ranked side in the world. It was also the first time in the professional era that South Africa had beaten the Kiwis four times in a row.
On Saturday after the game, Erasmus was quick to nip talk of bragging rights in the bud when he said the All Blacks had done that against the Boks a couple of times in the professional era. As recent as 2015, the New Zealanders built up a six-game winning streak that lasted until 2017.
So that is why Erasmus was quick to shove that talk aside and in the process, keep his team level-headed and focused on their next goal.
But there is no denying that this Bok squad is in the process of building something great. With the players at Erasmus’ disposal and the depth he is creating, more success will come their way. While some good young players are building Test experience, Erasmus shuffling them with the older guard prolongs the careers of some of the double World Cup winners, and that can only be positive.
The Springboks’ test record in the last 19 test matches (played after their last loss v New Zealand in Mt Smart on 15 July 2023)
— Thala Msutu (@ThalaMsutu77) September 8, 2024
Played 19, won 17.
Lost twice only to Ireland
Boks are a held up maul and a Ciaran Frawley drop goal away from a historic winning run.
They are building towards something that will culminate at the 2027 Rugby World Cup and if the Springboks can keep their feet on the ground over the next couple of years, there is no reason they can’t grab trophy number four in Australia and continue to dominate the southern hemisphere, while getting the wins on their northern tour each year-end.
Having the Rugby World Cup, Freedom Cup, Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate and possibly the Rugby Championship in their trophy cabinet will be brilliant for the Boks’ confidence. But they will have to guard against becoming overconfident and losing their way in their quest to remain the best in the world.