Both the Wallabies and the Springboks are doing better than last year, but I still wouldn’t get too optimistic before the End Of Year Tour is done.

I don’t know exactly why Australia feel upbeat about the two draws against South Africa. The Boks of 2017 are an improvement on the 2016 vintage, but are still way off the level they were between 2012 – 2014, and a bit of 2015 (those Springboks only really lost consistently to New Zealand, lost only 1 game against northern opposition in 4 years, lost against Australia in Australia).

The Boks have had some pretty good results, but not against the two strongest teams they’ve faced this year (57-0 to the All Blacks, 2 draws against an okay Wallabies side).

England and Ireland have proven in the last 2 years that they are the best teams after New Zealand. The balance of power is with the north, as a whole. Realistically, both Ireland and England on current form are both better than the Springboks and the Wallabies.

The EOYT will reveal all. Till then, we have to give credit where it’s due. England and Ireland have been good, while Wales and Scotland have both tasted Springbok and Wallaby blood in their previous encounters with 2 of the former Big 3.

I think Eben Etzebeth deserved a special mention in your article as well. I haven’t seen him play like that in test rugby in years, and haven’t seen him play like that against anyone since the Stormers played the Crusaders this year.

On Saturday he showed what he was capable of, smashing through Scott Barrett, Sam Cane, Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith (quite a number of times). Seeing a player dominate collisions like that against powerful All Black players is unheard of. His defence was aggressive and his lineouts were faultless, nabbing one from the All Blacks as well – the only lineout steal in the game.

With Brodie Retallick and Maro Itoje the premier locks in the world recently, it was good seeing Etzebeth make his presence known.

Not too much of a difference in size. Both sets of props were fairly even in size, Marx and Poluta-Nau also fairly even. Locks also even. Kolisi and Dempsey pretty even. Louw bigger than Hooper. JL du Preez bigger than McMahon.

I think both packs were around 890kg’

What I heard on through the tellie was that the referee felt that the hair pulling warranted only a penalty. After that, he asked the TMO if there was anything to look at in the scuffle and the TMO said there was nothing.

As Hooper walked away, you can hear the ref telling him: “We checked it and the TMO said he’s happy.”

“Still, no sympathy no matter who it is.”

I think you should make room for some sympathy, mate. For some cultures the long hair has traditional roots (Yeah, I really did that there.)

For instance, a lot of non-white people in South Africa sport dreads and weaves. It’ sort of a traditional thing. The Ndungane brothers, Howard Mnisi, Sbu Nkosi, Cecil Afrika – a few examples of African ethnic players sporting the traditional thang.

Not sure about Maori culture, so won’t comment on Nonu and Umagas hairstyles.

I think what makes the Folau incident worse is that the tackle starts fine (maybe a tad high), slips up and then grabs the hair. He then continues pulling on the hair. As far as my knowledge goes, human hair and a rugby jersey have very different feels. One could argue he should have let go the moment he saw what he was doing, since his support completed the tackle anyway.

The pass from Leyds to Serfontein was forward according to you, David. The pass to Folau was forward according to everyone in South Africa.

For a man of your experience, might I suggest that you actually, I don’t know, post a few pictures of the pass in question? Maybe a short video clip? Maybe do some illustrations? Maybe point out the moment where the ball leaves the hand and apparent forward motion? Has it crossed your mind to do the same with the pass to Folau?

Or are we just supposed to take your word as gospel on both passes?

Well, I don’t think that Ma’a Nonu and Tana Umaga would agree with that assessment, mate. I think players from all over would be looking to get a grab of those dreads.

I’m usually civil and respectful when it comes to Spiro’s articles as well as yours, David, but this is absolute garbage.

The pass from Leyds to Serfontein was clearly backwards out of the hands. I don’t know why you cite the last pass since Jantjies never succeeded in the conversion, and the Wallabies were in the Springbok half not a minute afterwards. If you want to play this game, you should remember that Springbok supporters can do the same.

I don’t think that Israel Folau’s hair-pulling deserved a yellow card, but I have seen plenty given for the action. The pass that led to Folau’s try (the first of the game) could also be argued as being forward, if we’re looking at it from the same perspective you’re looking at the pass to Serfontein.

I’m pretty sure I can find more dubious calls that would lead to the assumption that the Springboks were robbed.

The draw was a fair result, just like it was in Australia. It sucks for the both of us, but it is what it is. You can trust me when I say that we’re not happy with the result any more than you are.

Don’t really know if those assumptions are anywhere close to the actual thought process of where the matches were allocated.

First things first, if Saru wanted to “bag the 4 points” against the Wallabies, they could have opted for hosting them at Ellis Park or Loftus (those are actually high altitude stadiums, Bloemfontein is decidedly much lower above sea level), or they could have put the game at Newlands, where the Wallabies have not won since 1992 and is at sea level. Could have opted for Nelson Mandela Bay as well, where the Springboks have not lost a test. Durban is also a historically happy hunting ground for Wallabies.

Traditionally, the Springboks have never needed altitude to beat the Wallabies. They sport a good record at sea level against them. I think it’s more a matter of the Free State complaining that they haven’t had a match there since 2010 as well as the Western Cape pressing for an All Black test for the first time since 2008.

Ellis Park usually gets All Black games because it’s our biggest stadium and usually draws a full house. Gauteng is also the economic capital province of South Africa, hence people can buy expensive tickets without hurting their wallets so much. Loftus gets the big ones for much the same reason. The Free State, along with the Northern Cape and North-West provinces are the poorest of the country. People in those parts literally can’t afford pricey tickets.

All I know is this: You can beat that team with speed, skill and stamina, but by God I wouldn’t want to be the one waking up with the battered body the next morning. Playing a team like that is borderline physical assault and punishable by law.

Have mercy, gentlemen.

There’s a lot of beef to go around in South Africa. It’s almost impossible to remember all of them!

This is a fun article, so I’ll play along.

This is the biggest Springbok pack that I can think of, one with an average height of 6’4 and an average weight of around 120kg.

1. Os du Randt (190cm, 130kg)
2. Malcolm Marx (189cm, 118kg)
3. CJ van der Linde (191cm, 130kg)
4. Paul Willemse (201cm, 130kg)
5. Lood de Jager (206cm, 125kg)
6. Andre Venter (195cm, 131kg)
7. Willem Alberts (192cm, 120kg)
8. Duane Vermeulen (193cm, 120kg)

Pack Weight: 1004kg
Average Height: 193cm

Bench options could include:

Frans Malherbe (191cm, 124kg)
Thomas du Toit (188cm, 130kg)
Steven Kitshoff (188cm, 125kg)
Coenie Oosthuizen (180cm, 127kg)
Bismarck du Plessis (189cm, 114kg)
Adriaan Strauss (184cm, 111kg)
Eben Etzebeth (203cm, 117kg)
Bakkies Botha (204cm, 123kg)
Marcell Coetzee (191cm, 112kg)
Schalk Burger (193cm, 114kg)
Danie Rossouw (198cm, 117kg)
Jacques du Plessis (200cm, 119kg)
Pieter-Steph du Toit (200cm, 116kg)

You’ve got a few big drinks of water to choose from. Even with the players only playing currently, you can conjure up two packs that clear 930kg easily.

Luckily, the Springboks that will play in Perth will only top 890kg at most, which is 30 kilos lighter than they were in the 2015 World Cup.

I never was a popular kid in school, so I have all the experience to back me when I make a statement that probably wouldn’t be popular among my fellow countrymen.

Wallabies will win by 5.

Because they had two very good halves against the All Blacks? Not really. My line of thought is a lot more obvious and takes the form of a rugby cliché: They’re playing at home and history is on their side.

In recent years the Wallabies and the Springboks have been relatively 50/50. The home team generally wins. The 2013 Springbok victory at Suncorp was the exception. Otherwise, it’s been straightforward.

I can imagine that some Wallaby fans will point to their recent results and say that the Wallabies have a very minimal chance. I would counter this by saying that they lost against the weakest Springbok side in history in Pretoria last year. Form seemingly has little to do with the equation.

The one thing that could get us over the line is oddly, in my opinion, our greatest weakness, which is our pack of forwards. Think about it for a second – which of our backs have looked like anything special? When you look at the Springbok team, the prominent names that make a difference are all forwards. Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Jaco Kriel, Coenie Oosthuizen. These are the names that catch the eye. None of the backs do.

If we look even deeper than that we’ll see that most of our good play comes from the forwards. Coenie has people worrying about the scrums. Kolisi is our top try-scorer and has suddenly become a chief playmaker with his assists. Eben Etzebeth has made the most offloads of anyone in our team and is leading the team with vigor. Malcolm Marx and Jaco Kriel are destroying attacks with their steals on the ground.

In terms of our backline, Jantjies is probably the only one who’s had some notable moments. Serfontein and Kriel are getting by with opportunities created by others. Skosan and Rhule hardly pose any threat other than speed. Andries Coetzee is trying hard, but has done nothing to suggest that he’s the fullback we’ve been waiting for since Montgomery abandoned us 9 years ago. Our scrum-halves are serviceable without being dominant.

Basically, all the Wallabies need to do is find a way to negate our pack, which for some reason they always do at least once a year. Their attack broke the All Black defence, so ours shouldn’t be too hard to cut asunder. If they work around the pack, I’d put them as favourites to win.

Unless, of course, the Boks are genuinely better than we all think they are.

As a South African, I don’t think Australians should worry too much about the Springboks. You’ll most likely beat us in Australia.

I’m amazed at how Poite is still in the business.

A few of his mistakes so far.

— Deliberate knock down by an Argentine player. Awards a simple scrum advantage.

— First scrum looked like a Pumas penalty. Awards it to the Springboks.

— Pumas clearly play the opposing scrum-half. Does nothing.

— Penalizes a Puma player for a legitimate contest at the breakdown.

— Pumas totally offside 3 times on the 27′, 31′ and 34′ marks. Does nothing.

— Courtnal Skosan scores a try despite obviously being brought down in a tackle.

I’m pretty sure I missed a few others.

I’ve lost count of how many teams he’s screwed over throughout the years. South Africa 3 times, New Zealand once, England once, Ireland once, Wales once.

It’s truly unbelievable.

Not sure about the Skosan try, but it’s probably justice for Jaco Kriel’s disallowed try without Poite even consulting the TMO.

Neither the Springboks nor the Pumas look to be able of giving New Zealand a real run. Most likely a comfortable tournament for them.

Great article, Nicholas.

You bring up a few very good points, especially with regards to the outside centre position. I’m still of the opinion that South Africa have had average outside centres since 2011.

Jaco Taute, JJ Engelbrecht, Lionel Mapoe and Jesse Kriel have been chosen in previous years. This year it seems as though Lukhanyo Am might leapfrog all of them. This doesn’t give me any comfort at all. All of them are fairly decent attacking centres, but not one of them are anything much in the way of defense.

You mentioned Conrad Smith and Brian O’ Driscoll, who were both fantastic defensive organizers. I would add Jaque Fourie to that list. He was a pretty prodigious player. He scored plenty of tries, created many and, most importantly, he was a genius on defence. If I compare the current crop, both white and black, with him, I’d say that we’re still searching for our next proper 13.

Congratulations to all Chiefs fans. Thoroughly deserved and good luck in the semi-finals.

In terms of being a Stormers supporter, what is there to say that has never been said? We lost another playoff game and in the greater terms that means that we made no true progress. These losses are not acceptable.

On the other hand, because they are my team and I probably love them just as much as I love my Mother (no, really… maybe), I suppose I can say thank you to the Stormers for pitching up. The irony of how that sounds is not lost on me. But in previous playoff games, we usually didn’t pitch up and played horribly.

Tonight we weren’t good enough and we didn’t deserve to win, but we were committed and tried our best. That’s all.

And the rest is silence.

A way from peachy keen, mate, but still peachy nonetheless. How’s life been treating you?

Gold is golden, mate. Yellow is too mellow. Bring back the gold I say!

Hey Chooks.

I’ve been pretty good thanks, and yourself? I thought it about time to climb back into things after a sabbatical.

Commiserations on your beloved Tahs, mate. I can’t believe what I’ve been seeing this year.

I leave you to your own devices for a year and look at what has become of you!

Hi, YeahRight.

Thanks for the different point-of-view, but you have to remember you’re talking with a South African here, mate. I know all about racism, past injustices and current injustices. I know how it’s like to live in a country where it’d purely perceived racism to talk about the topic of racism itself. I know what it’s like to be a prisoner of political correctness.

What you say feels familiar to me, and make no mistake that I do understand where you’re coming from. The best I can do is offer you my view on the subject, as I believe we’re in the same boat.

If we take a good look at the Indigenous Jersey, we can see that it can be a symbol of a many different things. We can see that it is obviously inspired by the history and the culture of the indigenous people, who regardless of what we might think or say, completely deserve to be included in the Wallaby culture, to give to Wallaby culture, to form Wallaby culture. We can see that the jersey itself is still in the style of traditional Wallaby jerseys. The colour is the historical variety that we commonly associate with. We can see that the old is not abolished. What we see is an amalgamation of traditional Wallaby culture and Indigenous Wallaby culture.

We can either see it as an over-glorification of Indigenous culture, an answer to previous injustices, or we can see it as Indigenous culture becoming one with traditional culture.

If we see it as the latter, we can see that it is an equal representation. And if we see it like that, and the Indigenous Jersey is made the primary strip, it no longer will be known as an Indigenous Jersey. It will simply be known as a Wallaby Jersey; new and improved.

That’s my take on it anyway. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for the read, Fionn.

Enlightening article, especially for someone like me who doesn’t know the culture and history of Australia as well as he probably should.

I quite like the indigenous jersey. It caught me by surprise one day when I just logged onto the Roar and, suffice to say, it left a good first impression, which of course we all know is the sign of a truly original and captivating design. I could definitely get into the Wallabies wearing it as their primary kit. If I could, however, I would suggest to whoever’s in charge of the design to give the jersey just a little more of a golden tint. It’s currently a tad too canary yellow to my taste — not egregiously so, but there is room for improvement.

I wonder if the more traditional route might catch on with other countries. New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga all have traditional-styled jerseys and have had them for a long time. South Africa may want to look into it, given the current political climate in its sport. They’ve already upgraded the Impi and the whole pre-match Zulu ritual, maybe a new jersey design is the way to go. They do have a lot of cultures to choose from after all.

Anyway, if there was a poll, the Indigenous Jersey would definitely get my vote. As long as its a little more gold.

I’m alright Digger. Good to see you’re still keeping the “Canes by plenty” mantra alive and well.

But, I’m delighted to say that my bad weather team will defeat yours this season!

I hope….

Sup Digger? Nice blogging, mate. Long time, no type.

Ah, I see. And perhaps a citing and a few weeks’ banning 😉 ?