Durban — Finally, a furious Springbok team! And wasn’t it a thing of beauty when the Wallabies were blown off the field in front of their sold-out crowd, despite the presence of enough ex-pat South Africans for a loud boo every time Nic White touched the ball?
Speaking of whom, it appears that he did not learn his lesson from the previous week, when his antics cost him the respect of the rest of the rugby world, as his incessant chirping at the Boks kept stoking the red-hot coals that burst into incandescent flame 10 minutes from the end of the match when Makazola Mapimpi’s try sparked a riot.
Willie le Roux was likely just as poor at stirring, and he and White resembled a couple of elderly ladies with their underpants twisted.
“I’m so proud of how we stood up as a team; we understood what we had to do!”
Siya Kolisi had a MASSIVE effort tonight; this is what he had to say about the victory. pic.twitter.com/nTiXED1ont
— SuperSport on Twitter (@SuperSportTV) on September 3, 2022
It was evident from the first whistle that the Boks were on a mission. Unfortunately, it was quite anticipated that the Boks would make a fiery display, given that this is their typical style.
They only appear to be able to play well when their backs are against the wall, and this has become a tired rugby cliche – the Boks underperform when they are the favorites, but after a string of defeats they bounce back with a fury.
This Springbok team has the task of performing at a level befitting champions in each and every game. It will also assist if Jacques Nienaber stops messing about with team choices and decides on a squad that can generate winning momentum.
He needn’t look any farther than this beginning group, which was headed by Siya Kolisi with authority. I believed his leadership was missing in the last game in Adelaide, but he was magnificent in this game and led from the front, just like he did last year when the Boks defeated the British and Irish Lions.
When the Springbok forwards are firing on all cylinders, they are a terrifying sight to see, and their Wallabies counterparts were disdainfully swept aside, therefore it is a shame that the Boks are often guilty of poor execution.
Indeed, this Australian team should have been down by 30 points by halftime, such was the South African domination, but I shouldn’t be too much of a party pooper since the green and gold drought in the Great Outback is now ended.
So let’s savor this 24-8 victory, the first in Australia since 2013 and the first in Sydney since 1993, and let’s pray that Nienaber and Co. now consolidate this side, especially the pack, and that they go to Argentina in two weeks and win there to position themselves for a possible chance to win the Rugby Championship when they conclude their campaign in Durban.
The Boks are clearly capable. They only need to bottle up their rage and ferocity, because when they are enraged, they are capable of defeating anybody, anyplace.