Durban – Occasionally, the Wallabies field an above-average squad capable of defeating the world’s best, but until that occurs again, there is no justification for the Springboks’ continued poor performance against the Wallabies.
The Boks must live up to the standard set by the Wallabies’ 24-8 defeat in front of a sold-out crowd in Sydney on Saturday. It is a standard that they should have established a long time ago, as a properly focused and highly motivated Springbok squad should beat the Wallabies nine times out of ten, unless it is a year in which the Wallabies are very strong and the Boks are at their weakest.
This sounds really arrogant, but when you consider the pedigrees of the Springboks and Australian sides over the previous two decades, you can’t help but marvel how powerful Bok teams have lost to average Wallaby teams in Australia year after year.
Just two examples: John Smit’s Springboks lost 49-0 in Brisbane the year before they won the 2007 World Cup, and they also lost 49-0 in Brisbane in 2009, the year they defeated the British & Irish Lions and the All Blacks in three consecutive matches.
Over the same time period, the Springboks have almost always beaten the same team in South Africa, but that is because they are always mentally “up” for the game in front of their home fans. The only arrogance relevant to this discussion is that of the Boks, who typically go to Australia and go through the motions because they expect to win because they are in better form or have a better reputation.
The Wallabies do have good seasons, of course, but they have not been excessively powerful since twice winning the World Cup in the 1990s and being finalists in 2003. Prior to the weekend’s match in Sydney, a significant strength would have explained why the Boks have played 30 matches in Australia since their readmission and won only five of them.
There must be another explanation for this dreadful record besides the Wallabies’ superiority over the Boks.
On Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship visits to Australasia, the Boks have historically focused all of their motivation on the New Zealand leg of the journey, as the All Blacks are not only their traditional rival but also the best side in the world.
This rude and arrogant attitude of the Boks towards the Australians explains why they have been defeated so frequently.
Two weeks ago, the first match of the two-game miniseries in Australia was played in Adelaide. The Boks took the Adelaide Oval in a “dwaal” because there was no New Zealand leg of this trip.
This was after they had stated in numerous press conferences this year that addressing the Australian hoodoo was one of their top priorities… And yet, compare how intensely they played at the Adelaide Oval to how they played at Mbombela Stadium, and then compare that to what you witnessed on the weekend in Sydney.
Only differing mental methods may account for this phenomenon. The Boks were activated in Nelspruit, deactivated in Adelaide, and then reactivated in Sydney.
Let me give you a vivid illustration. Compare the Boks’ reactions in Adelaide and Sydney to Marika Koroibete’s armless “tackle” on Makazole Mapimpi at the corner flag, with Mapimpi scoring in Sydney.
In the first instance, the meek Boks surrendered; in Sydney, Eben the Angry led a massive riot. The difference in mindset is astronomical.
And when a strong Bok team faces a mediocre Wallabies side with the same ferocity with which they would play the All Blacks, there can be only one victor.
In conclusion, the Boks will return to South Africa on Monday after a two-match fact-finding expedition in Australia. They will have the proof in front of them. The Australian hoodoo enigma has been solved. Case resolved.