A glorious Springbok season limps to its conclusion in Dublin on Saturday. Three defeats and a win against Italy are the antecedents to the Test against the reigning Six Nations champions. Ireland have won their last two Tests against the Boks in Dublin and the men who make a living setting odds won’t give you much for that becoming three in a row on Saturday.
So, what’s gone wrong? Setting aside the natural triumphalism ensuing from a series win against the British Lions and a third Tri-Nations title, it’s fair to say that the Boks have had the rub of the green this year. The Lions failed to take their chances in the opening Test and butchered an honourable draw in the second match in Pretoria.
In the latter game the scores were level with a minute left when Lions flyhalf Ronan O’Gara had a moment of madness. O’Gara eschewed the safety of the touchline and hoisted an up-and-under that came down on the Springbok 10m line. He then committed a crass foul on Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn announced himself in Test rugby with the winning penalty in injury time.
It is possible that Ireland coach Declan Kidney was recalling that moment when he left O’Gara out of his team to face the Springboks this week. To return to the question of what ails the tourists, however, the series win against the Lions also helped camouflage the true magnitude of the Tri-Nations adventure. The Boks won all three of their Tests against New Zealand and won two out of three against Australia.
The fact that both the All Blacks and Wallabies are on tour in Europe at the same time as the Boks is instructive. Last week Australia lost to Scotland for the first time in quarter of a century. A week earlier they should have beaten Ireland, but were held to a draw by a last-minute converted try. New Zealand have been unbeaten thus far, but that’s largely because All Black teams know how you grind out a win when you’re not playing well.
This week Graham Henry’s men play France in Marseilles and, notwithstanding the odd selections that have become a trademark for coach Marc Lievremont, it would be a major shock if New Zealand win. This is the weakest All Blacks side in living memory and it might reasonably be asserted that the same is true of Australia, all of which adds up to a Springbok Tri-Nations title that lacks the lustre of, for instance, the 1998 version garnered by Nick Mallett’s team.
So were we wrong to laud this Bok team as perhaps the finest of all time? No. You can only beat what you’re up against and the class of these Boks forces opponents into errors that would not be contemplated against more ordinary rivals.
But there comes a time when someone has to make a harsh judgment call. Three years ago Jake White called it right. On the post-season tour he left behind Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Percy Montgomery and Os du Randt.
It was a decision that nearly cost the coach his job. Following defeat by Ireland, White was flown back to answer a vote of no confidence from the President’s Council. White survived, citing among other things the research of sports scientist Tim Noakes that demanded rest for key players ahead of the 2007 World showpiece.
Three years later Noakes has been saying the same things and a tour with three low-key games gave Peter de Villiers the perfect excuse to emulate his predecessor. That he did not may gain in significance as the 2011 World Cup gets closer. Unfortunately it is economic necessity that has guided the coach’s hand.
The senior players have contracts that reward them well whether they play or not. Giving Matfield and Du Preez another rest would mean paying both and their replacements in the squad. The same logic forced two games against English club sides into the schedule. The financial rewards were simply too good to turn down.
And so the best team in the world ends the season on a sour note. But despite all the caveats, this is a team for the ages that will soon pass into legend when the inevitable hard times appear again. Even with all that has gone before on this tour, these Boks are good enough to beat Ireland. That they probably will not is down to fatigue and ennui.