Not All Doom and Gloom For Springboks

The Springboks have had a rather lacklustre season in 2015. While the team managed to push both the All Blacks and Wallabies – undoubtedly the two best sides in the world –  to their limits, there has been a lack of clinical execution and finishing, both on attack and defence, which has hampered Heyneke Meyer and his troops from achieving greater things.

The reason for this sentiment is that, to be blunt, the South African public, and world rugby community, expect more from the Springboks. Whether or not, many would agree that this particular Springbok side is teetering on the brink of brilliance. Fragments of exciting running rugby, try-scoring prowess, and jaw-dropping skill have made their appearances over the past three years, particularly against the All Blacks in past Ellis Park meetings, but these moments and too few and far between in recent times.

Some detractors may believe that South African rugby has never showcased the attacking intent likened to that of their Southern Hemisphere neighbours, and potentially never will, but it’s clear that the Springboks are capable of such feats. Just thinking back to the highly-competitive encounters in Ellis Park in both 2013, 2014, and 2015 during the Rugby Championships, it’s clear that the Springboks have what it takes to defeat the All Blacks – and not simply by relying on lineout mauls and penalties, but with attractive running rugby.

These positive results and exciting moments, contrasted with the conservative foundations of ‘expected’ Springbok rugby, has created almost a Jekyll and Hyde scenario with the current South African side – where from one weekend to another, you could very well see the sullen, gritty, and admittedly ugly game plan or the ambitious, exhilarating, and expansive spectacle – but it all seems to depend on which team is on the other side of the halfway line.

For the past couple years, the Springboks have found themselves picking up the knack of playing to the quality of their opposition. Against second-tier nations and northern hemisphere opposition, the Springboks stick to their strengths. Strong set-pieces, a territorial kicking game, and a strong defensive effort has usually got the Springboks on the right side of the scoreboard. When the rival is that of the All Blacks or Wallabies, the Springboks tend to come out of their shells and deliver the Australasians a bit of their own medicine.

Since the inception of the Rugby Championship in 2012, South Africa has scored 14 tries against New Zealand. New Zealand have scored  22 against the Springboks. That’s a difference of 8 tries in three years over 7 games; so, on average, when playing against one another, the All Blacks score one try more than the Springboks per game. While statistics are only half the story, there are merits to these measurements.

Jesse Kriel makes a break against the All Blacks in 2015.

When looking at the World Cup semi-final between the Springboks and All Blacks, it’s easy for South African supporters to be frustrated at the 18-20 scoreline, but the gap between the two teams is really as small as two points. The absence of errors from both sides was so evident that we had to wait 25 minutes for the first scrum. The heavy rain did cause some lapses in the second half, but the ability of both sets of players to retain their accuracy despite the intensity of the pressure was a stark reminder that the Southern Hemisphere giants have skillsets higher than that of the rest of the world.

If those integral cognitive pieces of the puzzle click into place, Springbok fans should be in for something special come 2016.

More rugby features and videos:

10 Best Players of the 2015 Rugby World Cup

Battle Hardened Boks Will Bounce Back

Milner-Skudder’s RWC Highlights Video Is Spectacular To Watch

Dan Carter’s Spectacular No-Look Pass To Savea [Video]

Juan Imhoff Shows Incredible Pace And Skill To Finish Try Against Ireland [Video]

Quade Cooper Humiliates School Boy With Massive Sidestep [Video]