Boks…all is not lost

Saturday night’s absorbing Test match in Soweto left the rugby heartlands of South Africa in a state of suspended animation following Richie McCaw’s 78th-minute try, and most cruelly, Israel Dagg’s 80th-minute effort. Was it the fair result?

John Smit’s parade went from a breezy sunny day to shitstorm in the space of three minutes, emotion aside (what’s left of it anyway following a really tough loss for the Boks and their supporters) but the All Blacks deserved to win.

South Africa, using that old cliche, which describes way more than initially thought, wanted it more in the first half. Their commitment at the breakdown, and at the tackle area, left the match in a state of parity as Jimmy Cowan (how does he keep starting ahead of Weepu?) hoofed the ball out towards the touchline. The second half was All Blackness as Graeme Henry’s men took hold of the match, spending the vast majority of the second half in Bokke territory. A notable moment came when Morne “Win-A-Game” Steyn, charged with finding touch after a penalty inside the last 10 minutes, missed touch completely and instead hoofed the ball over the deadball line.

The highveld is meant to be a strength of South African rugby — we are meant to understand how to play, pace a match and win the tight ones in an environment that suits our style of rugby. However, the fittest team on the park by the end of the match was the All Blacks, with John Smit’s missed tackle on Ma’a Nonu leading to Dagg’s try an example of the petrol tank being empty, and some.

Congratulations should go the Henry, his staff, and the All Blacks, lead superbly by the world’s best rugby player, McCaw. Sure, he does cheat every now and then (as illustrated on one occasion coming in from the side with Nigel Owens close-by and not being penalised), but the fact of the matter is he leads this excellent All Black side from the front. Sure, Owens missed a forward pass that lead to McCaw’s game-changing try, but to ignore the All Black’s superiority, in the areas where it mattered, would be a disservice. Why Bryan Habana, who has been kak this whole Tri-Nations, decided to come off his line for an intercept that was never going to happen baffles the mind, but I’m sure the Stormers wing will know that he pawned it again, big time. Bryan, this isn’t an Outsurance advert where you can do the impossible.

The impact made by the newer faces in the Springbok line-up was a good one, with Juan de Jongh, Gio Aplon, Flip van der Merwe and the very impressive Francois Hougaard doing their best to ensure the Boks approached this game with vigour. Schalk Burger had a fine game, and Juan Smith was outstanding (why was he substituted?) bringing much-needed hardness to the loose-trio.

The Springboks did show that, fitness permitting, they do have a side capable of stopping the All Blacks. But as Graeme Henry said after the game, the work their fitness coach, Dr Nick Gill, did for this game was outstanding, which leaves one to wonder why the Boks were off the pace as the game neared its conclusion.

So what now? Bismarck du Plessis is once again back in the frame and now word has arrived that Frans “Siege Gun” Steyn will be back for the Wallabies’ fixtures. Tendai Mtawarira also had a barnstormer of a game and Duane Vermeulen has been waiting for a chance in the green and gold. The raw ingredients are there for this Bok side, now it remains to be seen if Peter de Villiers and his coaching team have the necessary skill to blend these different parts into a winning rugby team.

Jaque Fourie’s suspension will also be out the window and though De Jongh was very good, come next Saturday I don’t see a way we can leave Fourie out. So, what should the Bok side look like next week? Here’s an educated guess, weigh in with your suggestions:

15. Gio Aplon

14. JP Pietersen

13. Jaque Fourie

12. Jean de Villiers

11. Bryan Habana (he better step up or else)

10. Morne Steyn

9. Francois Hougaard

8. Ryan Kankowski

7. Juan Smith

6. Schalk Burger

5. Victor Matfield

4. Flip van der Merwe/Danie Rossouw

3. Jannie du Plessis

2. John Smit (c)

1. Guthro Steenkamp

Bench:

Beast Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Rossouw/Van der Merwe , Duan Vermeulen, Jano Vermaak (Ricky Januarie, for all his experience, is the poster child for the physical state players should not be in), Juan de Jongh, Frans Steyn

De Villiers and his crew need to beat the Wallabies twice to regain some pride, otherwise I would be really worried about where the Boks are going with the Rugby World Cup next year. For Pretoria, Smit should be rested, Bismarck and Steyn to start and perhaps even Beast? And, looking ahead to the end-of-year tour, the big guns should be left at home. We shall see.

Also, a tiny piece of comfort we can hold onto is (a) This isn’t the World Cup (b) Do the All Blacks know that? (c) The Springboks will enter next year’s World Cup as underdogs, with New Zealand to be overwhelming favourites … sounds like 2007 all over again.