The South African Springboks flew out of Australia on Sunday with their Tri-Nations hopes all but shattered but their reputations as one of the world’s rugby superpowers well and truly restored.
For the second time in as many matches the Springboks were denied a victory late in the match, this time going down 30-26 after former compatriot Clyde Rathbone dived over for a winning try to Australia in the 71st minute.
But the Wallabies were impressed by what they saw with both coach Eddie Jones and veteran captain George Gregan, who celebrated his 100th Test on Saturday, heaping praise on their new-look and comparatively inexperienced rivals and their coach Jake White.
”I thought it was a high-quality game,” Gregan said. ”It was a high-tempo game. When they had the ball they really tried to maintain it and they played at a high skill level.
”I think Jake White needs to be complimented on that because the way they are playing is a very good style of football — very positive.”
Jones agreed, saying the difference between the top teams is marginal and getting closer.
”At some stage there’s going to be some realism about the differences between the top five teams in the world,” he said.
”It’s the teams that perform a certain number of plays well that will win the game. South Africa is certainly in that category. They have got the right players in the side.
”As George said they have been extremely well coached by Jake — they’re a lot fitter than they were — they’re a very, very good side.”
Jones said that over the next three years there will only be at most a 2% or 3% difference between the top teams, which will determine the final outcome in any Test.
For the South Africans, Saturday’s loss was a bitter pill to swallow — doubly so because of their agonising last-second defeat by the New Zealand All Blacks in Christchurch in their opening Tri-Nations match last week.
But both White and captain John Smit tried to focus on the positives, predicting the Springboks could win their remaining two matches at home and continue to improve.
”If you look and see where we were six weeks ago and see where we are now — it’s a huge step forward,” White said.
”We’re going home and I think if we can build on these two results back home in front of a 50 000[-strong] crowd supporting us there’s no reason we can’t turn the tables around and play even better.
”That’s a challenge we’ve got as a team … there are a lot of positives coming out of this tour.
”We won against the Pacific Islanders and lost narrowly in both [Tri-Nations] games — and you’re talking about the number one and number two sides in the world so it just shows you where we are.”
White said the Australians have more experience and Jones has had a core of 10 to 12 players working together with him for at least five years, both as coach of the Super 12 team ACT Brumbies and now as head of the Wallabies.
He said his own players has lacked composure at crucial times but experience will rectify the problems.
”It’s just one of those things,” he said.
”I think the inexperience of this young side … it’s something you can’t buy but if you look at what the Australians have got and how long they’ve been together it just shows you what sort of value there is in keeping a side together for a long time.”
Smit said it hurt to lose two close matches in as many weeks but the experience will motivate the players for their final two games in South Africa.
”I think the biggest thing is that we’ve really had opportunities to win both games and we’re so far from where we are going to be as well in terms of growing as a side together,” he said. ”The guys are really looking forward to playing at home and lifting and uniting.”
White refused to lay any blame for the defeat at the feet of English referee Chris White, who missed what appeared to be a late tackle by Wallaby fullback Chris Latham on replacement back Gaffie du Toit with 13 minutes remaining.
Du Toit, who scored South Africa’s third try, kicked down the line and was charging towards the tryline when Latham shouldered him out of play, seemingly well after the ball was kicked.
”I thought the ref went quite well. You can’t blame him for all that. I think it was a call he had to make,” White said.
The South Africans took two bonus points from the match after scoring three tries and losing by fewer than seven points, to add to their earlier bonus point for scoring three tries against the All Blacks.
But any faint hopes they may still have of winning the tournament now rest in the hands of their opponents — with Australia to meet New Zealand in Sydney next week.
Australia have five points — four from Saturday’s win plus a bonus point for scoring four tries in the match — while New Zealand have eight points after winning their opening two games.
The Springboks have two bonus points. — Sapa-AFP