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In 1997 Nick Mallett had been appointed as the next Springbok coach. During the next two seasons Mallett’s men recorded 17 consecutive victories.
His team went through the 1998 Tri-Nations competition unbeaten, defeating both the All Blacks and the Wallabies twice to claim their first title.
But that isn’t where it ended.
In the ensuing games the Springboks then achieved multiple records against various nations across the world. They beat the French in Paris by a record score of 52-10. After that they annihilated Scotland in Edinburgh by 68-10, before claiming a record 33-0 win over Ireland. There was also a total decimation of Wales – 96-13 – and record scores against Italy, 101-0, and England, 44-21.
Wow. Being a Springbok supporter in 1998 must have been something very special. To whitewash both the All Blacks and Wallabies in one year and record five record scores, away from home no less, probably makes Mallett the best Springbok coach ever.
That is something I firmly believe. But unfortunately Mallett suffered the same fate as his successors.
Nick Mallett, Jake White, Pieter de Villiers and now Heyneke Meyer have all had a very memorable season that filled every green and gold heart with optimism and belief that the dawn of the Springbok had arrived.
Unfortunately on each occasion these dreams were made to end up in disappointment. It is the curse of being a Springbok supporter.
After Mallett’s perfect 1998 season, Jake White’s good 2004 season, Pieter de Villiers’ 2009 season and Heyneke Meyer’s great 2013 season the Springboks regressed casually to their same old, same old status.
My fellow South African Roarer, Biltongbek, wrote a very passionate and detailed comment in a recent article. In this he basically states his disappointment of the Boks and their lack of evolution throughout the years.
Having only recently started to watch rugby I can’t pretend to know the extent of his disappointment, but I do know my own. We have never beaten the All Blacks since I started following this great sport.
By and large through my research of rugby history I agree with Biltongbek’s sentiments. By our own standards the Springboks have been pretty mediocre since the dawn of professionalism.
The way they play is the reason for this regression. The Springbok game plan and its flaws have been so regularly debated that I cringe every time I see it being discussed. It’s like watching a re-run of a movie. Still, I can see the reason for its constant debate.
Expert Roarer Spiro Zavos also alluded to it in an earlier article asking the question, “How do the South Africans tolerate this style of play?”. Biltongbek again beat me to the punch by answering that we don’t.
It is true Spiro, we surely do not.
But the unanswered question remains. Why do we stick to it? This can be attributed to a lot of things. The fear of losing being a popular one and the fact that it suits our strengths being another.
But after much deliberation I have come to another conclusion.
Rugby is a truly amazing sport because it’s so universal in so many different ways. It allows individuals of every shape and size to compete. Whether you are small of stature like the 170-centimetre, 80-kilogram Aaron Smith or the colossal figure of a 208-centimetre, 120-kilogram Andries Bekker, Rugby has a place for you.
Rugby is the ultimate team sport. While there are so many names that can stand out like Sonny Bill Williams, Israel Folau and Willie le Roux, rugby does not have true star players. It has star teams.
A rugby team is dependent on all its cogs. You contribute to the effectiveness of a team. Sonny Bill with his amazing offloads would mean nothing if he didn’t have a Richie McCaw to hand it to. He alone can’t win you a game but with his teammates by his side they make a highly effective performance.
And what most people forget is that on most occasions a rugby team and its style of play reflects the psyche of their nation.
The Wallabies seek the masterclass spectacle, the helter skelter display, because Australia is a country that seeks excitement and something pretty to watch. The same applies to the Springboks.
South Africans are a special breed because a South African is a term synonomous with diversity. South Africans can be either African, Caucasian, Indian, Chinese or Coloured because so many live here and each of them represent a different culture and a different passion.
Of course the majority of Caucasians in South Africa are of Dutch descent. I am of Dutch descent, my surname being Van Zyl, which is just a different pronunciation of Van Zijl – a common name in the Netherlands.
We are big blokes. We have inherited that much maligned height gene from our forefathers. Being six foot three I can tell you I come across plenty of my kin who are much more imposing.
But other than our physical appearance we have also inherited the hardheadedness of our forefathers.
We can be very pompous, arrogant and spiteful on our worst days, we just have that temperament. But we also do have passion and loads of it, every single ethnic group in South Africa.
The point being, when you look at it you can clearly see the similarities between the country’s psyche and our game plan. Due to our generally big stature we rely on physicality and our passion converts to hunger to dominate the collisions, but we also like to have structure. That paints the Bok game plan pretty easily.
But as with the country, the Boks find it hard to move on when something needs to change. Springbok rugby truly needs to change.
I have noticed that a lot of Roarers generally dismiss South African players as one-dimensional. Nothing could be farther from the truth. South African players are just as skilful as the Australian and New Zealand players. We just don’t have the permission to play that way.
Last year when the Barbarians played Fiji under Steve Hansen I saw the true skill of our players. Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Willie le Roux and Jean de Villiers showed supreme handling in that game.
Who could forget Burger’s amazing offload to de Villiers for the last try? In that same sequence de Villiers supplied a great offload of his own to a Kiwi winger. When they scored the try the Kiwi (sadly I can’t remember who) embraced de Villiers with a truly unforgettable congratulations as if saying, “see what you can do if you aren’t restricted?”
In that same match I saw Vermeulen running off 12 with great inside lines with a speed I never knew he had. He broke the line and distributed often in that match. Try checking out the newest tribute to Duane Vermeulen posted recently on YouTube and you’ll see for yourself.
And further proof of South African attacking ability can be seen in this year’s Currie Cup. Those of you who have been able to follow it should watch the brilliant attacking rugby displayed by the Golden Lions and Western Province (the Stormers).
In the Blue Bulls versus Western Province game, I recall a brilliant try. Western Province were awarded a scrum in their half where Nic Groom passed the ball to Jaco Taute. Taute then ran and fed the ball back inside to Demetri Catrakilis, who took the ball the other way and distributed to Jaun de Jongh, who passed to Seabelo Senatla, who in turn offloaded to Cheslin Kolbe to score a 60-metre try.
It was a planned and carefully practiced set phase move.
The Pumas had a similar 80-metre try, including three linebreaks and three offloads, for Stefan Watermeyer to score.
Now this is Currie Cup and not Test level rugby. I am not advocating the switch to all out attacking rugby. There is a place for tactical kicking, forward domination and structured play. The Boks are too good at those attributes to dismiss them, but combining them with the natural skill our players possess would add a more complete dimension to our play.
The Boks will not be the world force they once were if they don’t allow themselves to use all of their dimensions in the same game plan.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.