Why Boks deserve RGR trophy?
OPINION: The way in which the Springboks came back to take a 2-1 lead in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series makes them deserved winners with one Test to go.
The All Blacks cannot win the series after suffering back-to-back defeats at Cape Town Stadium and FNB Stadium, while a draw is the worst-possible scenario for South Africa should they lose the game in Baltimore, USA on Saturday.
The Springboks produced a dismal, uncharacteristic performance in the series-opener at Ellis Park, with the 16-33 loss ending their 12-match winning streak and leaving them with a host of work-ons ahead of what was expected to be another tough encounter in Cape Town given the massive support the All Blacks enjoy in the Mother City.
Despite the pressure, the Boks emerged 33-26 winners, before going on to beat New Zealand at the Calabash for the first time with a 29-24 victory.
Home-ground was an advantage only in theory for the Springboks. Going into the series, New Zealand had enjoyed a superior win rate at the Highveld, having won eight of the last 10 clashes at Loftus Versfeld and Ellis Park, while they had won both previous encounters at FNB Stadium.
*READ: Springbok v All Blacks Preview
It’s a well-known fact that Rassie Erasmus’ group know how to fight with their backs against the wall. Pressure seems to be something they use as fuel. After taking the lead, however, just about the only pressure the world champions currently have on them is being an attractive advertisement for the sport in uncharted territory in Baltimore and upping their latest performance.
The historic series was highly anticipated, and for good reason, and it has certainly delivered in terms of drama and tension until now.
The Springboks deserve to win the series simply because of how strongly they bounced back despite the New Zealanders’ best attempts at influencing referees and casting South Africa’s game in a negative light.
And while one can argue that the game at FNB Stadium was the decider and that the match in the USA is purely an exhibition to grow interest in the sport ahead of the 2031 World Cup, 3-1 reads better than 2-2, and a win will secure yet another massive title for the Boks and give them a mental boost ahead of next year’s global spectacle.
Only one of the two 2023 World Cup finalists will progress past the quarterfinals in Australia, granted that they win their respective pools, as expected. South Africa’s toughest pool opponent will be Italy, while New Zealand’s will be hosts Australia.
Beating the All Blacks three times in a row is no easy feat, and the only spectacle bigger than the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series is a world cup, and that should give the Boks every bit of motivation to finish strongly.
In a rivalry where winning results have often alternated between the two nations, winning this series will be a statement like no other.
No other tournament allows a team four straight chances to beat the All Blacks or the Springboks, and as we are fast approaching the one-year countdown to the 2027 World Cup, the year leading up to rugby’s biggest stage will be one during which every performance matters.
This tour has until now delivered performances and moments that will long live in the memory of fans, and the Boks deserve to end it on a high.
Their ability to use their strengths effectively while nullifying the All Blacks’ and bounce back after a disaster of a first Test deserve it.
