BOKS OFFICE: The evolution of the Boks since the World Cup
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: To imagine that the back-to-back World Cup-winning Springboks can exceed their current success is one scary thought for any opposition in the modern game.
The Springboks etched their name in the history books when they became the only country to secure a fourth World Cup trophy in France last year.
They are regarded as one of the greatest teams on the planet at the moment.
However, a lot has changed since Siya Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in October.
The most prominent change was the return of Rassie Erasmus as head coach.
Erasmus replaced his good friend Jacques Nienamber and relinquished his role as Director of Rugby.
The new coaching staff also saw the acquisition of attack coach Tony Brown and defence coach Jerry Flannery.
The change of personnel has been accompanied by a change of style for the World Champs, adopting a more expansive brand of rugby under the guidance of Brown.
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With their focus also on creating depth for the 2027 World Cup, there are a lot of new faces that have been given a taste of Test rugby in the last few months.
The likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Ben-Jason Dixon have made a name for themselves and have proven to be solid options for the future after starring in wins over Wallabies in the opening rounds of the Rugby Championship.
However, with New Zealand heading to the Republic, there are always concerns that can this team can eclipse the class of 2023, who overcame the same opposition in the World Cup FInal.
In the latest episode of BOKS OFFICE, host Hanyani Shimange asked if the current team is better than they were in 2023 when they were crowned world champions for a record fourth time?
Springbok legend Jean de Villiers took a shot at the questions and made a compelling case for why it might be.
However, he did not definitively say whether they are better or not.
“I think we’ve evolved,” the former Springboks captain said on the podcast.
“There’s way more threat from an attacking point of view.
“You’ve got so much more variety, so defending I think is far more difficult.
“But we always have the capability of reverting back to our traditional strength, like we saw at the weekend with the maul. So it really does make us extremely dangerous.
“Plus, it adds to that the depth we have.
“You now go into a game – just take the flyhalf situation – you have Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], Manie [Libbok], Handre [Pollard], three totally different flyhalves that offer you something totally different.
“So you can even go into a game with a certain strategy and change it up halfway through the game and that counts for every other position in the team.”
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