All Article Properties:
{
"access_control": false,
"status": "publish",
"objectType": "Article",
"id": "2461957",
"signature": "Article:2461957",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-14-twickenham-clash-will-reveal-whether-boks-are-strong-enough-to-wear-rugbys-crown/",
"shorturl": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2461957",
"slug": "twickenham-clash-will-reveal-whether-boks-are-strong-enough-to-wear-rugbys-crown",
"contentType": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Article",
"slug": "article"
},
"views": 0,
"comments": 4,
"preview_limit": null,
"excludedFromGoogleSearchEngine": 0,
"title": "Twickenham clash will reveal whether Boks are strong enough to wear rugby’s crown",
"firstPublished": "2024-11-14 21:39:02",
"lastUpdate": "2024-11-15 06:59:59",
"categories": [
{
"id": "29",
"name": "South Africa",
"signature": "Category:29",
"slug": "south-africa",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/south-africa/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "Daily Maverick is an independent online news publication and weekly print newspaper in South Africa.\r\n\r\nIt is known for breaking some of the defining stories of South Africa in the past decade, including the Marikana Massacre, in which the South African Police Service killed 34 miners in August 2012.\r\n\r\nIt also investigated the Gupta Leaks, which won the 2019 Global Shining Light Award.\r\n\r\nThat investigation was credited with exposing the Indian-born Gupta family and former President Jacob Zuma for their role in the systemic political corruption referred to as state capture.\r\n\r\nIn 2018, co-founder and editor-in-chief Branislav ‘Branko’ Brkic was awarded the country’s prestigious Nat Nakasa Award, recognised for initiating the investigative collaboration after receiving the hard drive that included the email tranche.\r\n\r\nIn 2021, co-founder and CEO Styli Charalambous also received the award.\r\n\r\nDaily Maverick covers the latest political and news developments in South Africa with breaking news updates, analysis, opinions and more.",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
},
{
"id": "30",
"name": "Sport",
"signature": "Category:30",
"slug": "sport",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/sport/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
}
],
"content_length": 6395,
"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Springboks have exceeded expectations in 2024. Indeed, who could have predicted that they’d win so many games this season, while rotating their team on almost a weekly basis?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During his first press conference of the year, coach Rassie Erasmus prioritised the buildup to the 2027 World Cup and played down the quest for more immediate results.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hat-trick of World Cup titles, said Erasmus, was the ultimate goal, rather than an 80% win record and World Rugby’s No 1 ranking.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2461895 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2184029316.jpg\" alt=\"twickenham boks rugby kolisi\" width=\"1769\" height=\"1143\" /> <em>Springbok captain Siya Kolisi under pressure from Huw Jones of Scotland during their Autumn Nations Series 2024 match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 10 November 2024. (Photo: Stu Forster / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast forward to the present. Erasmus has kept his promise to develop the wider squad, handing 49 players opportunities over the course of 11 Tests.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, his dedication to development has helped rather than hindered the team’s performance. The Boks have won nine of their 11 matches, claiming a somewhat elusive Rugby Championship title in the process.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Favourites rather than underdogs</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The upshot is that Erasmus’s Boks have arrived in London this week as favourites rather than underdogs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the British media has no love for Erasmus, recent coverage suggests that they respect what he has achieved with this South African side over a period of seven years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The words “innovative” and “genius” have been used across several headlines, and the much-discussed takedown piece in </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Times</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which centres on Erasmus’s Bomb Squad tactics and their (unsubstantiated) threat to player safety, is otherwise littered with compliments. It’s getting harder and harder for critics to deny the quality and ambition of this Bok team.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The narrative shifted after the All Blacks beat Ireland 23-13 last Friday – becoming the first southern hemisphere team to win in Dublin since 2016 – and after Australia snatched a late 42-37 win against England to end their own 12-year drought at Twickenham.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Argentina and the Boks won their respective matches against Italy and Scotland to complete a clean sweep for the Rugby Championship nations. As a result, the Boks moved to the top of the rankings, while England dropped to seventh place.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The narrative as well as the rankings will change, of course, if the Boks lose this Saturday.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a sense, the Boks still have much to prove. They’ve beaten the All Blacks twice this season and won the Rugby Championship, but if they crumble under the weight of expectation at Twickenham and blow their chance to make another big statement, doubts regarding their status as the world-leading team will quickly re-emerge.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To reiterate, this is unfamiliar territory for Erasmus’s charges. The All Blacks were favourites to win the 2019 World Cup, while most tipped Ireland or France to lift the trophy in 2023. Right up to the final of both tournaments, the Boks were the underdogs – and Erasmus used that to the team’s advantage.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expectations may have been tempered ahead of the 2024 Rugby Championship, given Erasmus’s determination to experiment with his lineup over the course of the six-match campaign. But following the 48-7 demolition of Argentina in the decider in Mbombela, the expectation to perform is now sky-high.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Primed to peak</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bold predictions were made ahead of the recent clash against Scotland in Edinburgh, despite the fact that Erasmus had rested or benched the majority of his first-choice players.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Boks went on to claim a 32-15 victory, scoring four tries and conceding zero against one of the most potent attacking teams in international rugby. And yet, there is a prevalent feeling that the second-string Boks may have won by more than 17 points if they had truly clicked at Murrayfield. Erasmus himself described the performance as “disappointing”.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is good reason to expect a similar scoreline at Twickenham this Saturday. The first-choice players will be back, and more determined than ever to show the coach that they are worthy of their places in the pecking order. Most of these players are in their early- to mid-30s, and Erasmus has confirmed that he will have to cut some of the veterans in the lead-up to the next World Cup, as he attempts to strike a better balance between youth and experience.</span>\r\n<h4><b>England’s potential</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">England are full value for their place in the rankings at present, although this statement requires some qualifying.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steve Borthwick’s side have lost six of their 10 Tests this season, including the last five against tier-one opposition. It’s worth noting, however, that they beat Ireland in the Six Nations, and that in all five of those aforementioned defeats, they finished within seven points or fewer of their opponents. They’re not the best team in the world by any stretch, but they certainly have the potential to claim a big scalp.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2023 World Cup semifinal in Paris will also be on Erasmus’s mind. Borthwick’s charges dominated the first half of that playoff via a superior physical performance and accurate kicking game that effectively neutralised South Africa’s strengths.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A late surge by the Bok scrum and the nerveless kicking of Handré Pollard earned the South Africans a 16-15 victory, as well as a ticket to the final against New Zealand.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">England will hope that South Africa arrive at Twickenham with a sense of entitlement after winning nine out of 11 this season. But if Erasmus’s selections for the recent Scotland clash are any indicator, the Boks have been planning for this showdown with England for some time.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Borthwick has been fiercely criticised by the British media in recent weeks, but all will be forgiven if he orchestrates an unlikely win over the back-to-back world champions. Despite their inconsistent record, England could finish the year with the prize scalps of South Africa and Ireland.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What an anticlimax that would be for a Bok side that has taken giant strides this season, in terms of their results, mindset and approach.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the great All Blacks team of the 2010s, who boasted a win record in the region of 90%, the Boks need to embrace rather than play down their status as favourites.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they cherish the big occasion and play to their potential at Twickenham, they will show the rugby world that they are strong enough to wear the crown, and that they have no intent of relinquishing it any time soon. </span><b>DM</b>",
"teaser": "Twickenham clash will reveal whether Boks are strong enough to wear rugby’s crown",
"externalUrl": "",
"sponsor": null,
"authors": [
{
"id": "54311",
"name": "Jon Cardinelli",
"image": "",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/author/jon-cardinelli/",
"editorialName": "jon-cardinelli",
"department": "",
"name_latin": ""
}
],
"description": "",
"keywords": [
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "7572",
"name": "Rassie Erasmus",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/rassie-erasmus/",
"slug": "rassie-erasmus",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Rassie Erasmus",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "9867",
"name": "England",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/england/",
"slug": "england",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "England",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "41034",
"name": "Springboks",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/springboks/",
"slug": "springboks",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Springboks",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "50113",
"name": "Siya Kolisi",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/siya-kolisi/",
"slug": "siya-kolisi",
"description": "<p data-sourcepos=\"1:1-1:264\">Siya Kolisi <span class=\"citation-0 citation-end-0\">is a South African professional rugby union player who currently captains the South Africa national team (Springboks) and formerly the DHL Stormers and the Cell C Sharks. He joins Racing 92 in France at the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He generally plays as a flanker and a loose forward.</span></p>\r\n<p data-sourcepos=\"3:1-3:257\">Kolisi was born on 16 June 1991 in Zwide, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. He grew up in poverty and lost his mother when he was just 15 years old. However, he overcame these challenges to become one of the most successful rugby players in South Africa.</p>\r\n<p data-sourcepos=\"5:1-5:273\">Kolisi made his international debut for South Africa in 2013. He was appointed captain of the Springboks in 2018, becoming the first black man to hold the position. He led the team to victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, becoming the first black captain to lift the trophy.</p>\r\n<p data-sourcepos=\"7:1-7:200\">Kolisi is a role model for many people in South Africa and around the world. He is known for his humility, his work ethic, and his commitment to social justice. He is also a loving husband and father.</p>\r\n<p data-sourcepos=\"9:1-9:218\">In addition to his rugby career, Siya Kolisi is also the co-founder of <span class=\"citation-1 citation-end-1\">the Kolisi Foundation, which aims to provide assistance and opportunities for South Africans from vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.</span></p>",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Siya Kolisi",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "59459",
"name": "rugby",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/rugby/",
"slug": "rugby",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "rugby",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "387549",
"name": "Jon Cardinelli",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/jon-cardinelli/",
"slug": "jon-cardinelli",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Jon Cardinelli",
"translations": null
}
}
],
"short_summary": null,
"source": null,
"related": [],
"options": [],
"attachments": [
{
"id": "72032",
"name": "Springbok captain Siya Kolisi on a run while under pressure from Huw Jones of Scotland during their Autumn Nations Series 2024 match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 10 November 2024. (Photo: Stu Forster / Getty Images)",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Springboks have exceeded expectations in 2024. Indeed, who could have predicted that they’d win so many games this season, while rotating their team on almost a weekly basis?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During his first press conference of the year, coach Rassie Erasmus prioritised the buildup to the 2027 World Cup and played down the quest for more immediate results.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hat-trick of World Cup titles, said Erasmus, was the ultimate goal, rather than an 80% win record and World Rugby’s No 1 ranking.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2461895\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1769\"]<img class=\"wp-image-2461895 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2184029316.jpg\" alt=\"twickenham boks rugby kolisi\" width=\"1769\" height=\"1143\" /> <em>Springbok captain Siya Kolisi under pressure from Huw Jones of Scotland during their Autumn Nations Series 2024 match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 10 November 2024. (Photo: Stu Forster / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast forward to the present. Erasmus has kept his promise to develop the wider squad, handing 49 players opportunities over the course of 11 Tests.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, his dedication to development has helped rather than hindered the team’s performance. The Boks have won nine of their 11 matches, claiming a somewhat elusive Rugby Championship title in the process.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Favourites rather than underdogs</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The upshot is that Erasmus’s Boks have arrived in London this week as favourites rather than underdogs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the British media has no love for Erasmus, recent coverage suggests that they respect what he has achieved with this South African side over a period of seven years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The words “innovative” and “genius” have been used across several headlines, and the much-discussed takedown piece in </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Times</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which centres on Erasmus’s Bomb Squad tactics and their (unsubstantiated) threat to player safety, is otherwise littered with compliments. It’s getting harder and harder for critics to deny the quality and ambition of this Bok team.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The narrative shifted after the All Blacks beat Ireland 23-13 last Friday – becoming the first southern hemisphere team to win in Dublin since 2016 – and after Australia snatched a late 42-37 win against England to end their own 12-year drought at Twickenham.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Argentina and the Boks won their respective matches against Italy and Scotland to complete a clean sweep for the Rugby Championship nations. As a result, the Boks moved to the top of the rankings, while England dropped to seventh place.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The narrative as well as the rankings will change, of course, if the Boks lose this Saturday.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a sense, the Boks still have much to prove. They’ve beaten the All Blacks twice this season and won the Rugby Championship, but if they crumble under the weight of expectation at Twickenham and blow their chance to make another big statement, doubts regarding their status as the world-leading team will quickly re-emerge.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To reiterate, this is unfamiliar territory for Erasmus’s charges. The All Blacks were favourites to win the 2019 World Cup, while most tipped Ireland or France to lift the trophy in 2023. Right up to the final of both tournaments, the Boks were the underdogs – and Erasmus used that to the team’s advantage.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expectations may have been tempered ahead of the 2024 Rugby Championship, given Erasmus’s determination to experiment with his lineup over the course of the six-match campaign. But following the 48-7 demolition of Argentina in the decider in Mbombela, the expectation to perform is now sky-high.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Primed to peak</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bold predictions were made ahead of the recent clash against Scotland in Edinburgh, despite the fact that Erasmus had rested or benched the majority of his first-choice players.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Boks went on to claim a 32-15 victory, scoring four tries and conceding zero against one of the most potent attacking teams in international rugby. And yet, there is a prevalent feeling that the second-string Boks may have won by more than 17 points if they had truly clicked at Murrayfield. Erasmus himself described the performance as “disappointing”.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is good reason to expect a similar scoreline at Twickenham this Saturday. The first-choice players will be back, and more determined than ever to show the coach that they are worthy of their places in the pecking order. Most of these players are in their early- to mid-30s, and Erasmus has confirmed that he will have to cut some of the veterans in the lead-up to the next World Cup, as he attempts to strike a better balance between youth and experience.</span>\r\n<h4><b>England’s potential</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">England are full value for their place in the rankings at present, although this statement requires some qualifying.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steve Borthwick’s side have lost six of their 10 Tests this season, including the last five against tier-one opposition. It’s worth noting, however, that they beat Ireland in the Six Nations, and that in all five of those aforementioned defeats, they finished within seven points or fewer of their opponents. They’re not the best team in the world by any stretch, but they certainly have the potential to claim a big scalp.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2023 World Cup semifinal in Paris will also be on Erasmus’s mind. Borthwick’s charges dominated the first half of that playoff via a superior physical performance and accurate kicking game that effectively neutralised South Africa’s strengths.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A late surge by the Bok scrum and the nerveless kicking of Handré Pollard earned the South Africans a 16-15 victory, as well as a ticket to the final against New Zealand.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">England will hope that South Africa arrive at Twickenham with a sense of entitlement after winning nine out of 11 this season. But if Erasmus’s selections for the recent Scotland clash are any indicator, the Boks have been planning for this showdown with England for some time.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Borthwick has been fiercely criticised by the British media in recent weeks, but all will be forgiven if he orchestrates an unlikely win over the back-to-back world champions. Despite their inconsistent record, England could finish the year with the prize scalps of South Africa and Ireland.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What an anticlimax that would be for a Bok side that has taken giant strides this season, in terms of their results, mindset and approach.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the great All Blacks team of the 2010s, who boasted a win record in the region of 90%, the Boks need to embrace rather than play down their status as favourites.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they cherish the big occasion and play to their potential at Twickenham, they will show the rugby world that they are strong enough to wear the crown, and that they have no intent of relinquishing it any time soon. </span><b>DM</b>",
"focal": "50% 50%",
"width": 0,
"height": 0,
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg",
"transforms": [
{
"x": "200",
"y": "100",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/6ZiRtCK5JYKFWlxqAJxnT7_zPQs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg"
},
{
"x": "450",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/Wm1n_r5zb9DJZBena53RFVE1hxs=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg"
},
{
"x": "800",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/8xXdoLN9xhn0mQb_flae8FkBj-o=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1200",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/Rmd_K8fnDbU-vRzE6M5JsbXqxsk=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1600",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/O7dC52gwnaSpOuinDyDSHhz_0S0=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg"
}
],
"url_thumbnail": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/6ZiRtCK5JYKFWlxqAJxnT7_zPQs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg",
"url_medium": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/Wm1n_r5zb9DJZBena53RFVE1hxs=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg",
"url_large": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/8xXdoLN9xhn0mQb_flae8FkBj-o=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg",
"url_xl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/Rmd_K8fnDbU-vRzE6M5JsbXqxsk=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg",
"url_xxl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/O7dC52gwnaSpOuinDyDSHhz_0S0=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TL_2297469.jpg",
"type": "image"
}
],
"summary": "The Springboks are in the increasingly familiar position of starting an away Test as ‘favourite’. They need to embrace that tag.",
"template_type": null,
"dm_custom_section_label": null,
"elements": [],
"seo": {
"search_title": "Twickenham clash will reveal whether Boks are strong enough to wear rugby’s crown",
"search_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Springboks have exceeded expectations in 2024. Indeed, who could have predicted that they’d win so many games this season, while rotating their team on almost a wee",
"social_title": "Twickenham clash will reveal whether Boks are strong enough to wear rugby’s crown",
"social_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Springboks have exceeded expectations in 2024. Indeed, who could have predicted that they’d win so many games this season, while rotating their team on almost a wee",
"social_image": ""
},
"cached": true,
"access_allowed": true
} 
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi under pressure from Huw Jones of Scotland during their Autumn Nations Series 2024 match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 10 November 2024. (Photo: Stu Forster / Getty Images)