In the Rugby Championship’s fourth round, South Africa stunned New Zealand 21–12 in the second half, taking a step closer to winning the championship. The Springboks were behind 9-3 at the interval, but captain Siya Kolisi led the charge as they came back to take the lead.
Handré Pollard’s conversion of Kolisi’s score early in the second half gave the reigning world champions their first lead of the game, 10-9. For a brief while, the All Blacks were ahead 13–12 thanks to a penalty kick from Damian McKenzie, but seconds later, McKenzie’s missed attempt proved costly.
Tyrel Lomax’s yellow card for blocking Cheslin Kolbe reduced New Zealand to 14 players, and South Africa took advantage of the man advantage. Malcolm Marx surged over the line in the corner to give the Springboks a crucial second try and extend their lead.
With the win, South Africa not only took the lead in the Rugby Championship, but they also raised the Freedom Cup, a trophy that the two teams have been fighting for since 2004. Kolisi praised his team’s tenacity after the arduously earned victory.Kolisi stated, “We knew the All Blacks would come hard at us.” “Winning the Freedom Cup in such a significant year, thirty years after democracy, is truly amazing. I’m pleased with the boys.
Despite dominating the first half and relying on McKenzie’s boot to score, New Zealand’s inability to close out crucial opportunities allowed the Springboks to maintain a lead. All Blacks captain Scott Barrett acknowledged the difficulty of playing against a team as skilled as South Africa despite missing opportunities. The Springboks are closing in on the Rugby Championship title and will next play Argentina in their last games, both at home and away.
It’s a bad job being one of four Pommy journalists in a seven-person Planet Rugby team with three very gregarious South African colleagues. We spend our time attempting to moderate the Saffers, to keep them on board, trying to rein in the fervor and exaggeration of our colleagues Jared, Dylan, and Skip, and trying to recast Planet Rugby’s story as the impartial and reasonable voice of the rugby community.
Unfortunately, I found out on Saturday night that all of my efforts had been in vain. The cause? In my 18 years of covering rugby as a journalist and my 39 years of involvement in the sport as a player, coach, and writer, I have realized that the South African team of 2024 is the most intelligent and adaptable team I have ever seen.In 2019, I would have argued that the only thing separating New Zealand, England, and the Springboks was their big scrum, which gave them a decisive advantage in the championship match.
I would have said in 2023 that the match between France and the Boks amounted to nothing more than a refereeing call, that Ireland and New Zealand were discussed, and that I have never seen a better attacking display than what Les Bleus put on for 60 minutes in the quarterfinal. However, my arguments are, regrettably, exhausted by 2024.
With all due respect to both Ireland and France, who remain exceptional teams, I have nothing to compare, no equivalency to offer between teams at the same level, and no points of reference to back up any discussion suggesting there was a superior team in the world either now or in the past in the history of the modern game. I hear you ask, why? What has altered for you to reach this judgment?
Well, the team is reaching heights that are almost unheard of in the sport because to the tremendous flexibility and desire of Rassie Erasmus and his leadership group. Objectively speaking, it’s hard to argue against back-to-back World Cup victories, and as of this writing, you might quite reasonably place a bet on the South Africans to win a hattrick of titles in 2027.
It’s not about the objective evaluation, though; rather, it’s about the subjective way that South Africa is fixated on improving. It may be the usual criticism of traditional rugby, which has always been directed at the guys in green and gold, saying things like, “Well, it’s all about their set-piece—they intimidate teams but lack attacking ambition.” The class of 2024, however, is completely mocking those complaints.
When Steve Waugh assumed the captaincy of the Australian cricket team in the 1990s and 2000s, he asserted—rather bluntly—that Australia A was the only team capable of defeating Australia. He informed the players that he was imposing internal performance standards on the team. It was necessary to score 60 runs per 100 balls if you were among the top five batters. Whatever happens, he said, Australia will always bat first if he wins the toss. And that the players would be dismissed if they did not agree with his goal of winning by an innings, 10 wickets, or 200 runs.
It turned out to be prophetic: Australia achieved cricket heights never before seen, and they kept up those standards for nearly eighteen seasons, punishing any opposition with fury and offensive prowess until their team grew old together.
The South African rugby squad is performing at concerningly high levels thanks to Rassie Erasmus and his leadership, who are employing the exact same strategy as Waugh.Without a doubt, the South Africans produce enormous physical specimens that give them an advantage in rugby, but it almost seems as though Rassie is using his own type of artificial intelligence (AI, let’s call it RI) to program the players to reach new levels of motivation.
The team trains tackle height for hours on end to be as legal as possible; information from the Bok camp indicates that the training routine is very focused. This season, the lineout work has demonstrated incredible inventiveness in a variety of ways, including front peels off several pods and pod exchanges. In addition, Erasmus has produced a crop of quick-witted, highly skilled attackers who only want to amuse themselves with the ball in hand after hearing criticism about his reliance on bullying tactics. This proves that the transformation has already been successful, as a line of exceptional young players from South Africa’s ethnic areas keeps coming to the Bok headquarters.
The culture of the Boks unites all the communities in the Republic, including role models like Cheslin Kolbe and Siya Kolisi. The South African pitches are displaying talent after talent: Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (SFM), and many more are just getting started. Meanwhile, the traditional back-rows and locks of Ruan Nortije and Elrigh Louw are still going strong.
And these guys want to take the shirt to new heights—SFM is changing the Boks’ game by infusing the old Bok DNA with ambition, pace, and intellect (RI again). As a result, Erasmus has assembled a team with an incredible depth of talent. At least thirty players on the current roster can be considered to be world-class Test performers, and, more concerningly, there are likely another thirty who could step up to play for the national team if necessary.
Rassie Erasmus stands at the epicenter of this transformation and perseverance. To continue the metaphor from cricket, the legendary Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg once said of Mike Brearley, one of England’s best captains, “The bugger has a degree in people.” Along with the same degree, Erasmus also holds a PhD in rugby coaching, a master’s degree in South African culture, and almost all of these.
He is aware of the emotions of his loyal fans, keeps tabs on the arguments on social media, and comprehends the criticism directed at his group from all directions. Then, like a great chef, he takes these three elements, combines them with extraordinary player ability, and leads his team to unprecedented success.
With RWC 2027 drawing near, South Africa has a huge potential development ceiling over the next two or three seasons, given where they are right now. There will undoubtedly be some difficulties along the way. Winning the three Tests is a major goal for the November Tests, and those matches promise to be incredible to watch. However, aside from England, who could succeed with a lot of luck and a tailwind, do Wales or Scotland actually pose a serious physical threat?
Even yet, you can only play with the resources at hand. If there is any sadness in knowing that South Africa won’t be playing France or Ireland until at least 2025, it’s only going to increase the excitement for when those matches do happen.
You will have to settle back for the time being, though, and enjoy what the Springboks are displaying. We understand that it requires a certain amount of—let’s say—confidence. Despite the opposition from the Bok fanbase, even the most obstinate members of the Pommy and Kiwi media must now concede that we are witnessing one of the greatest periods in the history of the sport as it rises to even greater heights.
Granted, that means enduring endless hours of jokes and teasing from Dylan, Jared, and Skip, the guys on our desk, but I’ve managed to enjoy the ride with them and am captivated by the caliber of the world champs.