Despite defending their Rugby Championship title, the Springboks still have a lot to work on ahead of their end-of-year tour.
Despite their historic back-to-back Rugby Championship triumphs, the Springboks have plenty to work on ahead of a tough end-of-year tour to the UK and Europe in November.
A tight 29-27 win over Argentina secured the Boks a second straight Rugby Championship title for the first time in their history, but it was a difficult competition that saw them lose two of their six games, against the Wallabies at Ellis Park and All Blacks at Eden Park.
They thus finished level at the top of the log on 19 points with the All Blacks, and were only able to retain their title on points difference, which was a far cry from their dominant showing last year.
In the 2024 tournament the Boks won five out of six matches, losing just one by a single point against Argentina in Santiago del Estero, in a game they really should have won, and finished eight points clear of the All Blacks in second.
Coach Rassie Erasmus admitted on Saturday night that they were happy to get the win and defend their title, but that they had plenty to work on ahead of their five games in November.
“We are pleased with the result and that we could win back-to-back Rugby Championship titles, because we don’t know when it will be played again,” said Erasmus.
“We’re happy we could pull it off, but there’s still a lot of work ahead. Some of the guys we used maybe haven’t played under this kind of pressure before, especially after New Zealand beat Australia in the earlier Test, and it showed at times. The guys who came on helped to stabilise things.”
Squad depth
The end-of-year tour should provide the Boks with another opportunity to flex their considerable squad depth, as they face difficult encounters against France and Ireland, while games against Japan, Italy and Wales will provide chances for some of their fringe players.
It will be interesting to see how strong a team they name for their first match against Japan at Twickenham, as they face France in Paris a week later and wouldn’t want to go into that game undercooked.
Italy in La Nucia follows, before another huge clash against Ireland in Dublin, with the Boks then closing out their tour against Wales in Cardiff.
The Boks should be bolstered by a few injury returns for the tour, with wings Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe, and prop Gerhard Steenekamp all expected to be available.
Others, however, such as Aphelele Fassi, Jean-Luc du Preez, Salmaan Moerat, Frans Malherbe, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom are unlikely to have recovered in time.
In all it is set to be a tough end to their international season, and if the Boks want to replicate their impressive showing last year, where they won 11 out of 13 matches, they will have to produce another November tour clean sweep, although against tougher opposition in France and Ireland.
