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Boks have to reaffirm their status as world’s best against All Blacks

Boks have to reaffirm their status as world’s best against All Blacks
Ruan Nortje of the Springboks wins a line-out during The Rugby Championship match between the Wallabies and Springboks on 17 August 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Craig Ray
By Craig Ray
30 Aug 2024
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The Springboks and All Blacks meet for the 107th time in a Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The old cliché goes that a week in rugby is a long time. And with that in mind, the Springboks are under pressure to underline their status as the world’s best team when they meet the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

Winning Rugby World Cup 2023 by beating the All Blacks 12-11 in the final was great. It can never be taken away, and will adorn the record books for eternity.

But it’s 2024, and the honour and responsibility that comes with being world champions and the world’s top ranked team, is that you have to defend those titles every time you play.

The Springboks are now the biggest scalp in rugby. Every team wants to beat them because they have fought their way to the top of the mountain. Conversely they are expected to win every game for the same reason — they are the world’s best.

Read more: Rassie’s mind games ensure Boks start marquee series against All Blacks as favourites

Of course, winning every Test is unlikely and the Boks have already lost once this year — to Ireland in Durban. Yet, that is the expectation. 

Playing at Ellis Park, in front of 60,000 passionate fans, heightens that expectation. The Boks are favourites against the All Blacks, whichever way you spin it. They might not want that moniker, but they have earned it, and anything other than victory will be a setback.

The All Blacks by contrast, have seldom been underdogs — certainly in the professional era against the Boks — yet that is what they are. An All Black win would be an upset, there is no getting away from it.

Sam Cane of New Zealand controls the ball during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 semi-final match between Argentina and New Zealand at Stade de France on 10 October 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images)


Missing in action 


Both teams come into the match without some key players. The All Blacks are without the injured trio of powerful prop Ethan de Groot, lock Patrick Tuipolotou, flank Dalton Papali’i, while flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and flank Shannon Frizell are ineligible for selection because they’re playing in Japan.

The Springboks have a lock shortage with Franco Mostert, RG Snyman, Salmaan Moerat, Jean Kleyn and Lood de Jager all injured. 

Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk is out while prop Steven Kitshoff is playing again, but not chosen for the match due to lack of game time.

Etzebeth welcome selection


 Lock Eben Etzebeth has somehow recovered from a meniscus injury to take his place on the bench. It’s a welcome selection as Etzebeth plays his 125th Test and will stretch his record to 23 consecutive Tests against the All Blacks. 

Pieter-Steph du Toit will start at lock, where he began his Test career and where his performances were as good as anything he has produced at flank.

There are many missing pieces for both teams, but such is the depth that both squads are still formidable. 

Forward battle 


The Springbok lineout and scrum, usually such massive weapons for them, will be under scrutiny. Without so many locks their options are limited and in Ruan Nortje, they have an untested and inexperienced lineout leader. 

Nortje perhaps has the most to prove because he will have to control the lineout while also showing that he can produce the same scrumming power of his illustrious teammates.

The Bok front row is stacked with raw power and explosiveness, but scrumming dominance also comes from the considerable input of the second row. Will Du Toit and Nortje provide the necessary kilowatts? 

The All Blacks scrum, even without De Groot, is one that can match the Boks and they will certainly be looking to Test out the rejigged Bok pack in that area.

Read more: ‘You have to start with unbelievable intensity’ – All Blacks braced for ‘feral’ Ellis Park reception 

New Zealand’s lineout though, has been flaky. They struggled in that area in the two Tests against England and improved it against Argentina. Erasmus and Deon Davids will have taken an extremely deep dive into the All Blacks’ problems in the lineout.

While the Boks might be a little concerned about their locks, All Black coach Scott Robertson has gambled by starting veteran Sam Cane at flank. 

Cane knows what it feels like to win at Ellis Park and he understands more than most what a contest against the Boks requires, but does he still have the game to compete at this level after an injury plagued season? We’ll know by about 7pm on Saturday. 

Head coach of the Springboks, Rassie Erasmus, during a press conference after The Rugby Championship match between Australia Wallabies and South Africa Springboks on 10 August 2024 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo: Matt Roberts/Getty Images)


Right time


Erasmus has also shown his commitment to the Boks’ new path of better, slicker attack by retaining Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at flyhalf and surprising by selecting Aphelele Fassi at fullback. 

Fassi has had a great season for both the Sharks and the Boks and fully deserves this opportunity. It says a lot that Erasmus decided against going back to his dependable warhorse Willie le Roux for the clash and instead to be bold and decisive by picking the man with form and confidence and then challenging him to take his chance. 

The Bok coach is a brilliant motivator, and his public challenge to Fassi a perfect example of this trait. 

“We are all waiting for Aphelele to do it now,” Erasmus said this week. “That’s what we’ve told him the whole of last week: do it now, it’s on you! Go and show the people what you can do and why you are here.” 

How inspirational must this be for a young player? There is no threat, only belief from the coach. Erasmus wants Fassi with all his speed, balanced running and brilliance under the high ball to express himself, to live up to his nickname of the “weekend special” on the biggest of stages. 

With Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse either side of Fassi, the Bok back three is built for attacking while incredibly mobile for defending.

Considering the All Blacks back three consists of Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan and Beauden Barrett, the prospects for some beautiful rugby on the firm highveld field are salivating. 

Throw in the mercurial talents of All Black flyhalf Damian McKenzie, who will have Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon in his face most of the afternoon, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the likes of Damian de Allende, Rieko Ioane and Jesse Kriel, and this could just be an epic contest of high quality. 

The game might be won and lost on the benches though. The starting XVs look well matched but the Boks just appear to have a little more cavalry waiting to close out the contest.

Scrumhalf Grant Williams always improves the game when he arrives and flank Kwagga Smith’s energy and intelligence late in games can often be decisive. 

Flyhalf Handre Pollard offers that comfort that if it comes down to a kick to win it, he is there to do the honours while hooker Malcolm Marx is probably the best hooker in the world.

Ruan Nortje of the Springboks wins a line-out during The Rugby Championship match between the Wallabies and Springboks on 17 August 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images)


Intense physical battle 


When the Boks and All Blacks meet, it is an intense physical and mental battle, where players display levels of skill, courage and commitment and that few, if any other sporting event demands. 

The Rugby Championship is also on the line — well it is for the All Blacks — because if they lose, it would put them nine or 10 log points behind the Boks. That would be an almost impossible deficit to close with three rounds remaining.

For the Boks it’s a chance to take complete control of the tournament with three wins from three, after two bonus point wins in Australia. That will be a massive motivation for Erasmus’ men. 

Outside of the Championship though, it’s a chance for the Boks to beat the All Blacks for a third consecutive time — something they last did in 2009. That’s another huge motivation. 

In reality of course, beating the old enemy is motivation enough for both sets of players. Log points and winning streaks are just extensions of the simple, yet immensely difficult goal of winning the match. 

That is all that matters. DM 

Teams:


South Africa

15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche

Reserves: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard

 New Zealand


15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Tupou Vaa'i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams

Reserves: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a

Kick-off: 17.00 (Supersport)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England) and Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

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