Bok Loss a Blessing in Disguise?

While it may come as somewhat of a surprise to some South African fans, the Springboks were going to lose at some point. Anyone who knows the cycle of winning and losing in sports knows that everyone, eventually, will get knocked off the perch. You simply aren’t gonna win endlessly.

In a way, I think the Springboks needed a loss (they didn’t deserve it; there was no arrogance present), but the ever-growing squad needed it from a realignment perspective. The match in Johannesburg against the All Blacks highlighted some weaknesses in the game and exposed how some teams will manipulate the Boks’ physical dominance in order to win.

The All Blacks did this to great effect, targeting the breakdown and using clever techniques, such as trapping Springbok players in the ruck and forcing a penalty, or how they disrupted that lineout maul (sometimes getting it wrong and tackling the jumper or lifters prematurely), but they (ironically) slowed things down for the Springboks. However, this loss and setback will just make the Boks better.

Zooming out a bit, the truth is that England and Wales weren’t tough enough games to really expose some shortcomings of the Springboks. They were great games, but didn’t scratch the underbelly of where South Africa is lacking in terms of rugby efficiency. Argentina, on the other hand, brought a physicality that woke the Springboks up in the latter stages of the game, requiring them to dig deep to win by a 7-point margin.

New Zealand has a knack for pinpointing exactly where you’re deficient, and exploiting it. Therefore, every time South Africa plays their rivals over in the Pacific, the team gets exposed and better, regardless of whether it’s a win or loss.

If Rassie and co. are as jacked as everyone knows they are, they’ll bounce back, and the selection for Saturday’s game highlights that some key areas of the gameplan require some experience.

The other factor, though, is New Zealand’s mindset for Game 2. In my eyes, and given where the All Blacks were last year, they’ve essentially “done the job”. Of course, they want to win, but realistically, this tour hasn’t been done in decades and has been a gruelling one for Dave Rennie’s men, despite being nowhere near the finish line. To come to SA, clean out the franchise sides (despite the Lions pushing the All Blacks the most), and already have taken one Test, it’s a pretty satisfying result. Even if they return home with only those scalps, it’s not a bad tour.

So there’s no pressure on the All Blacks now, which is a worry…

But as a spectator, the loss in Johannesburg was the best thing that could’ve happened. If the Boks go up one test this weekend in Cape Town, then it makes that final test nothing less than a drama movie.

The fourth test in Baltimore is a bonus in my eyes.