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In 2012, by the month of December, The All Blacks had played 13 Test matches and had won 12, drew one, and lost none.
They then went on to lose to England by a record margin and I wrote that the loss (as hurting as a loss to England always is) might be more valuable than a victory.
It is interesting to note that England has failed to meet the expectations raised ever after that game, with only two scalps (at home) against Australia to show for no wins in the Six Nations tournament.
Now the Springboks have just lost to Australia at Suncorp and I think it could well be again a case of losing being more beneficial than winning.
Firstly, the better team on the park on Saturday was the Boks. This should not be understated. Everything the Boks did during 70 minutes was impressive and they certainly rugged the Wallabies off the park (something difficult to do in Brisbane). Upon their arrival to South Africa, the All Blacks players admitted watching the game before taking the flight to the Republic and the general consensus was that the Springboks played very, very well.
As hurting as a loss always is for the Springboks, this can’t be taken from them: they played some impressive rugby.
Secondly, even though the last victory by South Africa in the Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship dates back to 2009 (under Pieter de Villiers, it must be said), in 2015 the big one is waiting, so the tournament is not the main target and a loss to Australia in July is better than a loss in October (depending on the pool stages, Springboks and Wallabies could meet as early as in the quarter-finals).
Thirdly, this defeat has the same (exactly the same) taste as the defeat the All Blacks suffered against the Wallabies (again) at Suncorp (again) in 2011 in the final Test of the Tri-Nations.
Do you remember the story? The All Blacks were leading heading into the dying 10 minutes and looked like the better team when a series of mistakes cost them the game and the trophy (Bledisloe Cup was already secured, though).
Reflecting in his book “The Open Side”, McCaw states that it was not such a bad thing the All Blacks lost, as it injected some confidence in the Wallabies whereas the All Blacks knew they were the better team and the next time things would be different (they met again in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals).
In a similar fashion, the Springboks were the better team and they should take confidence from the fact they know how to play the Wallabies and even more, they know how to outplay them.
Fourthly, the measure of how good this Springboks side is will be seen at the end of the Rugby Championship, and the match against the All Blacks looms as decisive for the Springboks. For such a Test, the game in Brisbane means little, as a win would always mean the Boks head into the Argentinian Test and the Rugby World Cup full of confidence (the Aussie Test would be seen as just an accident in the last 10 minutes) and a loss would always add some doubts to coach, players and fans (the Aussie Test would be seen then as just a stat: another loss).
I would like to finish this article by reflecting on the performances of both teams. Whereas the Wallabies will count themselves lucky to have escaped like this in a Test match, they will be fully aware they can’t expect to win the Rugby World Cup without improving their game.
In contrast, the Springboks have already shown a style of rugby that could win the tournament. Yes, they did lose but that can be improved and corrected, whereas finding the right game has taken Heyneke Meyer some seasons and it could well be that they are about to peak during the most important of years.
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.