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As a South African I think that losing to every one of the following teams : AUS,NZ and ENG can be described in one word.
New Zealand – Frustration
Australia – Chagrin
England – Annoyance
I know some of these are synonyms, but hear me out.
Against New Zealand, the frustration stems from our long and proud histories as arguably the two greatest rugby nations, and the fact that in recent times (post 1994) our record has been appalling against them.
However, the greatest of all my sources of frustration is that the best ever Springbok rugby side in my view (and possibly the finest ever in world rugby) was the side of the 80’s. I believe they were a superior side to the New Zealand team that won the ’87 World Cup. They were rarely allowed to show their true ability but that’s in the past and because of our political choices back then. It was by no other cause than our own hand.
Against Australia it is more like being bested by your little brother. It’s not that I think the Wallabies are inferior or a lesser team at all, but that they always seem to know exactly what to do to rile you up. Losing to them is never a certainty or an inevitability, but a great source of emotional upheaval and chagrin.
Like brothers, the two nations seem to never be able to get away from each other. Whether it’s cricket, rugby, or swimming; you can pick your form of sibling rivalry and it stacks up.
Against England it is more of a case of downright annoyance. They always seem to talk themselves up like the kid whose dad’s car is faster and whose horses always seem to be bigger than any other person on the face of the earth.
They always, in my humble opinion, seem to disregard South Africa.
As stated by a newspaper article I read recently, they also seem to believe they are a far far superior rugby side to us currently. The article seemed to suggest the All Blacks and England were far and away the two best sides in the world at the moment.
So looking beyond my subjective rambling I guess it’s down to your own preferred choice of poison and I also suspect that for the others a similar analysis would yield similar results.
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.