Kiwi scribe: Bok World Cup stars look ‘old’
A writer from New Zealand recently said the Springbok team that lost against the Kiwis this past weekend are old.
New Zealand-based rugby writer Hamish Bidwell says the world-champion Springboks, among the match-day 23 who lost to the All Blacks on Saturday, “looked past it”.
The Kiwis built their Rugby Championship win in Auckland on a stunning opening 20 minutes, and during this period, most of South Africa’s key players went missing, with soft moments on defence and rushed decision-making contributing to a 35-20 defeat.
Mark Keohane said in his TimesLIVE column that the Boks showed no appetite for a contest, and writing for RugbyPass.com, Bidwell argues that while the All Blacks “were very, very good” at Mount Smart Stadium, their rivals didn’t offer much resistance.
“I’m not sure South Africa – or at least Saturday night’s iteration – are that good a yardstick,” he writes. “That was an old Springboks side. A team of Rugby World Cup winners nearer the end of their careers than the start.
“Starting Malcom Marx would be a help to South Africa. As would picking some of the more youthful personnel, who beat Australia in the first round of the Rugby Championship.
“Sterner tests await the All Blacks than South Africa could muster on Saturday night.
“That’s not to say these Springboks won’t rouse themselves at some stage this year. But a few of them looked past it on Saturday and the average nights might become more prevalent than the good ones.”
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