South African rugby is seemingly in pole position to be the strongest challenger for World Cup honours in France later this year.
Winners in 1995 on home soil, the Springboks failed badly at the tournaments in 1999 in Wales and 2003 in Australia, but are now at the top of their game and blowing down the necks of defending champions England and overwhelming favourites New Zealand.
Their Super 14 teams performed better this season than any other year in the competition’s history, with the Northern Bulls beating the Coastal Sharks in last weekend’s first all-South African final in the country.
The players have shown a maturity in the competition, and coach Jake White appears for the first time to be blessed with the kind of depth which New Zealand coach Graham Henry has at his disposal.
Not only are the seasoned campaigners like captain John Smit, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villiers, Percy Montgomery and Bryan Habana showing great form, a number of young stars have also made a name for themselves in the Super 14.
Uncapped players in the national training squad -‒ hooker Bismarck du Plessis, wing Odwa Ndungane, centre Waylon Murray and flanker Luke Watson — have enjoyed successful Super 14 campaigns, while Sharks winger Frans Steyn (20), has already featured on a Springbok tour.
He was the find of the Boks’ sojourn to Ireland and England last November.
White has also come a long way with the players, building his team for the last four years since getting the Bok job in 2004.
There is a core group of men around whom he will build his side, structures are in place and the players know who will be on their left and right.
But politics is never far away in South African rugby and if there is one thing that could scupper the Springboks’ chances this year it is the kind of interference from the rugby hierarchy which saw Watson and Odwa Ndungane selected to the team.
White has never rated the Western Stormers captain, preferring bigger loose forwards who offer him an extra lineout option, but two weeks ago when Watson was again excluded from an extended national training squad, the rugby bosses stepped in and included Watson and Ndungane, twin brother of Bulls wing Akona.
White has now seemingly accepted the decision to include Watson, who on Sunday was pushed into the reduced squad of 38 players by the South African Rugby Union.
White on Monday said it was now time to look to the coming international season.
”We’re going forward and all the role-players in the game have agreed to stand together. We need to get the best possible team on the field to make a serious challenge for the World Cup.”
Despite all the interference, the South African Test team will be easily as strong as New Zealand, the favourites for the World Cup.
The Auckland Blues and Canterbury Crusaders — two New Zealand teams that have dominated the Super rugby series over the years — were convincingly beaten in the Super 14 semifinals, while all the South African sides, bar the Central Cheetahs, managed to win at least one game away from home this year.
The Super 14 finalists, the Bulls and Sharks, provide 28 players to the current Bok training group of 38.
In the last few weeks alone, Matfield has confirmed his status as the world’s best lock forward, Burger, Juan Smith and Pierre Spies will be a loose trio to be feared, while Du Preez has now got to be the number one halfback in world rugby. And Habana is surely now the best finisher in the game.
The Springboks face an understrength England in the first of two Tests in Bloemfontein on Saturday. – Sapa