Springboks look to build legacy

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That's the feeling growing in South Africa after winning the Lipovitan D Rugby Championship title.

Respected South African rugby writer Gavin Rich said in BusinessDay that success did not always involve winning every Rugby World Cup. 

"The winning of the global showpiece is a lot about just what happens on the day, and there is luck involved.

"It is also true that the mastermind of the Bok rugby success story, Rassie Erasmus, can't coach forever. At some point, he's going to retire, and when that happens, there will be a period of transition. He is going to be hard to replace.

"However, there have been advances made in SA rugby in the past few years, and not all of them have just been driven by Erasmus, that could set up the Boks for a sustained period of dominance such as the one enjoyed by the All Blacks for several decades.

"The All Blacks won only two World Cup trophies between 1995 and 2019 but they were recognised as the most consistent dominant force in the game in that period, and the Boks could be heading in that direction."

Rich said the depth created by the country's involvement in European play was a factor because competitions are played over a more extended period than in the Super Rugby season.


"The greater number of players exposed to a high level of rugby has to have positive spin-offs. It is noticeable how the Boks are becoming more reliant on home-based players than the players based overseas.

"All of the many new players introduced to international rugby during the Boks' southern hemisphere campaign are based in SA and have come out of the United Rugby Championship."

Although introducing less experienced players meant losses for the Springboks during the Championship, Erasmus' selection policy exposed players to Test play to help lift them to new levels.

But, a third factor to be considered was introducing foreign influence to the coaching team with the arrival of Tony Brown. He brought a new dynamic to the Boks' attacking game.

Rich said when previous international coaches were involved with the Boks over the last 30 years, they said that they all returned to Test rugby with other nations knowing the Boks they faced did not know how good they could be if they shook off their 'conservative shackles'.

Before Brown arrived, there were signs of a more attacking game emerging.

"Under Brown, it threatens to go to a different level, and the first 20 minutes of the Santiago game against Argentina and then for 80 minutes at the Mbombela Stadium, we were presented with a masterclass indication of where the Boys might be heading.

"What buried Argentina was a combination of forward power and brute strength and flair that has seldom, if ever, been mixed into the same Bok cocktail in the past."

Rich said the most noticeable improvement was the handling skills. They continue to grow and are several levels higher.

"There was a time when the Boks were too much broadsword and not enough rapier, but now they have both. And it is laying the foundation for a sustained period of dominance, not just a fleeting one."

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