RGR: Biggest flexes and flops
OPINION: The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series certainly lived up to the hype.
It delivered absolutely everything that makes a Test series gripping.
From mind games to post-match moaning, comebacks to disappointments, it had it all.
While the All Blacks secured a 16-33 victory in the opening Test at Ellis Park, the Boks bounced back to win the remaining three fixtures at Cape Town Stadium (33-26), FNB Stadium (29-24), and M&T Bank Stadium (43-28) in Baltimore, USA.
We look at the biggest flexes and flops from the inaugural quadrennial blockbuster.
Flexes:
Boks overcoming early pressure to win series in style
The Springboks reached a world-rankings high at the conclusion of the series, and it is yet another testament to their dominance.
The Boks were under immense pressure after their loss in the opening game. It was an uncharacteristic display from the world champions and the prospect of winning the remaining three Tests was a daunting one.
They had lots to fix, but they defied the odds as they have done so many times before to beat the All Blacks three times in a row for the first time in 17 years.
Winning results aside, how they went about it was the real flex.
The Boks didn’t simply beat the All Blacks with their scrum, defence, aerial game, and physicality in Baltimore. No, they showed that they can deliver beautiful brutality and deliver stunning running rugby just as effectively as they wreaked havoc when the game opened up and pounced on loose balls like it was going out of fashion.
They owned their game and beat the All Blacks at theirs to show that they, yet again, are the side to beat with the 2027 Rugby World Cup a little over a year away.
Bok scrum, aerial game
Much was said about the South African scrum throughout the series, but the only real takeaway should be their unmatched dominance.
The aerial game is another one of the Bok strengths that caused all sorts of problems for the All Blacks, and while South Africa did well to fix what cost them in the opener, New Zealand just couldn’t adapt to their aerial onslaught and effective kick-chase.
Another key difference was how the Springboks made use of their opportunities; both sides made mistakes, but the Springboks actually used their advantage more often than not when the All Blacks were pinged.
Bok milestones
Winning was the goal, and in between, the Boks glammed up the series with individual records and milestones.
Siya Kolisi added to his storied career by becoming the most successful Springbok captain in history when he led the team to a 55th Test win as captain in Soweto.
Coaching mastermind Rassie Erasmus reached his 100th Test in charge of the Boks in the series-finale, accumulated during his roles as head coach and director of rugby.
Under Erasmus, the Boks have won two world cups, a British & Irish Lions Series, back-to-back Rugby Championship titles, and several other marquee Tests, including record wins over New Zealand and a global clean sweep, which saw the Boks become the first team to beat every Six Nations and Rugby Championship team in a 12-month period.
Workhorse extraordinaire Pieter-Steph du Toit became the 11th player to reach 100 Springbok Tests when he ran out at Cape Town Stadium and the first to reach the milestone in a win against the All Blacks, while Damian de Allende brought up his century in the first Test of the series at Ellis Park.
Malcolm Marx was arguably the best player in the series and scored his eighth try against the All Blacks to tie Bryan Habana’s record for most tries scored by a Springbok against New Zealand.
They may not have reached personal milestones, but Damian Willemse was complete authority in the air on repeat and combined it with top attacking and defensive contributions, while Manie Libbok vitalised the Springboks’ attack every time he came on. Over the four Tests, there were no shortage of immense Bok performances.
Flops:
The Kiwi media mission and non-stop moaning
The New Zealanders seemed set on putting certain narratives regarding the Springboks out there and using the media as a channel to influence referees.
Well before the series kicked off, there was a lot of talk about them being wary of the Boks slowing their game down and hampering their chances of playing a high-tempo game. Their attempts weren’t even subliminal; it was obvious that they wanted match officials to be overly focused on whatever the South Africans did on the field. They went so far as to imply the Boks would fake injuries just to get a chance to catch their breath, while their focus shifted to their scrums once the series kicked off.
It was the New Zealanders, however, who at times were responsible for slowing the game down with their infringements – side entries, offside play, and other off-the-ball antics were some of their favourite past times during the series, and some of their penalties were downright silly, like All Blacks Tupou Vaa’i holding onto Cameron Hanekom’s leg after a breakdown.
After the Cape Town Test, head coach Dave Rennie accused the Bok pack of walking around at the scrum, an accusation that was met with a fiery response from Rassie Erasmus. After that, Rennie tried to sidestep the matter, later saying that he was only answering the questions posed by the media during press conferences.
Ironically, it was the All Blacks who deserved to be zoomed in on at the set-piece during the first three Tests, while hooker Codie Taylor was penalised a couple of times for failing to maintain his brake foot during the scrum set up in Baltimore.
Assistant coach Neil Barnes was the definition of “sour grapes” after the fourth Test, claiming that several tight decisions went against them in Baltimore and that the Boks are getting the rub of the green simply because the “perception that they are the dominant team” at the set-piece.
“We get two penalties against us at the start of the game for a brake-foot, which no one really gives a shit about, but the referees are concentrating on it,” Barnes said on Newstalk ZB.
“And when you look at the video, both teams have done exactly the same thing at the same time. [But] there are two penalties against us.”
They have been a disgrace with their incessant whining, and it would be only fair that they, Barnes in particular, are dealt with for the criticism of referees.
Ticket prices
The Springboks’ supporters are their fuel. Coaches and players alike always say they play for South Africans. And it’s for exactly that reason that attending at least one Test in a series like this should be within reach for ordinary South Africans.
Playing the series-finale in USA
The fourth and final Test was taken to the USA to grow the game ahead of the 2031 Rugby World Cup, but was a fourth Test really needed?
A spectacle like this, especially when it comes around once every four years, shouldn’t leave any room for an anticlimax. And while that didn’t happen as the Boks won the series 3-1, rugby lovers could very well have been left with a hollow feeling had the tour ended in a draw.
Apart from the number of Tests, there is certainly a case to be made for having all the matches played in the host country, especially the very last one.
Contested between the two best teams in the world, this series is the closest thing to a world cup – no other teams have a better chance of winning the global spectacle – and the host country’s citizens should get the opportunity to see their team in action in a series of this magnitude. Even if they cannot attend the fixture at the stadium, they should, at the very least, be able to enjoy it from home or wherever else without having to stay up past midnight to see the second half of the final Test.
Mid-week games against uncompetitive franchises
The All Blacks won five of their eight matches on tour, and most of their matches against the South African franchises were seriously entertaining.
The Stormers were in it until the last 13 minutes and held the All Blacks to 14-all up until that point. The Bulls named their strongest-available team and had their moments although it was clear where the game was headed from fairly early on. The Sharks were completely hapless, with the match at a wet Kings Park resembling little more than an opposed training session. The Lions produced a performance that will live long in the memory and came agonisingly close to causing a major upset. But there was just too much disparity in the two preceding games at times.
All four franchises were in the middle of their pre-season when they faced the All Blacks, and unless there is a scheduling shift, the results and flow of those matches will always be predictable.
