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How should I feel about a crap All Blacks side?
At what point does schadenfreude morph into pity? For how long can one look upon the misery of a fallen adversary before feeling the sharp pang of sympathy? Perhaps these questions are nonsense. Maybe one’s joy is inversely proportional to the suffering of a foe. All the better yet if that foe once ruled the world.
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These tangled conundrums have filled my head this week as the South African Springboks host the New Zealand All Blacks on Saturday. As a journalist and observer of the game, I am paid to be neutral, to cast a dispassionate eye on events and report the facts as I see them.
But that is a challenging task when these two teams meet. I am a South African, I am a sports fan and I was raised in the early years of the self-branded ‘New’ South Africa. I was seven-years-old when Joel Stransky nailed a drop goal to hand the Springboks the 1995 Rugby World Cup. I was intoxicated by the belief that sport had the power to change the world, as Nelson Mandela told us, and tightly wrapped myself in the rainbow-nationalism that the former president espoused.
But every hero needs a villain and the All Blacks, those monsters under the bed who’d snatch me away in the night if I didn’t finish my vegetables, were the boogeymen of my deepest nightmares.
They terrified me. But more than that, they fascinated me. Watching them was akin to witnessing a natural disaster in full flow. A Jonah Lomu rampaging run was a volcano erupting. A Zinzan Brooke tackle was a tsunami. The haka was at once sacred and malevolent, like the rumbling incantations of druids .
Beyond any awe or fear I carried, the enduring feeling I had was respect. Every match against these Goliaths felt significant. All the well-worn sporting tropes came alive before these showstopping set-pieces. There were no dead rubbers. Form went out the window. So often it came down to the finest of margins.
We’ll all have our standout moments against the All Blacks. Mine is Richard Bands’ try in Dunedin in 2003 that included a mighty hand-off on the great Carlos Spencer. But more than any individual event or piece of skill, my favourite thing about this rivalry is that it exists. That it’s so often a meeting between the two undisputed powerhouses of the game. That it brings together a collision of brute force and electric guile, a thunderous whirlwind of emotion that knocks the breath out of spectators half a world away.
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Which brings us to this week’s contest, the 102nd in 101 years. The All Blacks are currently ranked fourth on World Rugby’s metrics. Read that again. Fourth. Three teams are ahead of them. This is unchartered territory. They’ve just lost consecutive Tests on home soil for the first time in more than two decades. The ravens have left the tower. The wolves are circling. This lot have already been branded the worst All Blacks side in history.
How am I supposed to feel about this? Should I be joyous that an outfit that has inflicted so much heartache on my team has finally been brought low? Should I remind myself that it was New Zealand rugby that made the South Africans feel like unwelcome guests in Super Rugby and so accelerated the decline of what was once the best domestic competition in the world?
I’ll be honest, I do feel those things. But I also feel a degree of sadness. I can’t help but liken myself to a young Gaul in the seventh century, looking up at the crumbling Roman aqueducts and wondering what giants built these wonders.
We’re not there yet. This is an empire on the wane rather than one in ruin, but a chastening defeat to the Springboks in both Tests could prove disastrous for New Zealand. And, to be frank, the Springboks really ought to pulverise them.
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I’m not buying the cliches this time. I’m not entertaining the tropes of wounded tigers or the comparisons with cornered Spartans at Thermopylae. The Springboks, the world champion, Lions series winning Springboks, cannot waste their best ever opportunity to rub the All Blacks’ noses in a mess of their own making.
And this is why I am worried. What if New Zealand rouse themselves from their sleepwalk and send a reminder to the world of their former greatness? What if the Springboks saunter into the fight bloated on false impressions and get walloped by a side with a score to settle? Neither team can afford to lose in Mbombela but the South Africans have even less wiggle room than their guests.
Malcom Marx’s inclusion in the starting XV for only the second time since the 2019 World Cup is an indication that coach Jacques Nienaber wants to get at the All Blacks as soon as possible. Like most Springboks matches that matter, this one won’t be pretty. They won’t look to replicate the eye-catching patterns so astutely executed by Ireland. They’ll be direct and forceful. They’ll set themselves up to bully the bullies.
In doing so they’ll heap even more misery on an organisation that once only dealt in triumphs. I wonder how we’ll all feel after that.
Well written.
As a thoroughbred Kiwi it is painful to watch what's happening to the ABs. I have huge respect for SA rugby and I agree with the author that there is a serious amount of pressure for their boys coming into this - they are expected to win and win well. NZ will put up a scrap but be worn down I suspect.
Many would believe that this will do us a favour. I'm kind of of that mindset too as I think foster is a baffoon and razor undoubtedly should have been given a shot...maybe he will be in charge when the ABs return from SA...here's hoping... The problem as many know is far deeper. Kids in NZ are more interested in Facebook and PlayStation's these days and with the liberal new world, the "hard nut" culture of the past is being washed away.
Our current backline features a fullback at 10, fullback at 12, winger at 13, fullback at 14 and a journeyman at 15. Put jordie on the bench and Will at fullback. Apart from Ardie, probably our only world class player at present.
The reason for all the holes is the steady flow of excellent players/fringe all blacks to richer nations over the last 10 years means the competition under the lid is pegged back. How on earth can you complete at the highest level without specialist players playing in there specialist positions!! Havilli and Rieko are fantastic players when playing in their positions but international 12 and 13 they are not. Granted goodhue is injured but isn't he always? He's a good player, not great but at least in the heat of the moment he instinctively knows what to do!
Don't get me started on the forwards...Sam and Brodie will be turning up via their bus passes next season but we have to allow it cause there's precious little else to bring in!!
I very rarely agree with Stuart Barnes but mate, Sam Cane MUST go. How can you watch an entire series of rugby (v Ireland - congrats Ireland you guys were great) and the only time you hear canes name come up is when the ref calls him over for a chat or in the interview at the end!! By contrast, van de flier was constantly being called on commentary for another turnover, slipped pass, charging run etc (isn't that what 7s do?) How on earth have we ended up with him at 7. Look back at the 7s NZ has produced in the past and it makes you cry!!!
Anyway, if you've got this far thanks for staying awake. This is just the opinion of an extremely frustrated NZ rugby fan.
Cheers, Wardy
Being a Bok fan you should be pretty used to losing to the ABs by now
You won’t be disappointed as I expect Boks to win by at least 15
Boks vs AB's probably rugby's greatest rivalry and may it long continue. However, how we feel about each other can differ within just one decade. I remember Kieran Read honestly remarking that the rivalry wasn't great in his opinion with the Boks doing poorly back then. That was just 5 years ago.
I fear that the AB's superiority has eroded because opponents have clamped down on space which especially the AB's need to trive - and they dont really know how else to win on a consistent basis.
Another reason is the AB's ability to live on or just over the limits of the rules had been curtailed with the influence of the influx of breakdown laws especially driven hard by NH refs. The free flowing interpretation of SH refereeing is gone forever.
Lastly, the amout of x factor players in a team is paramount. Think of the Wallabies in the 1990, the AB's of 2010's. The number ebb and flows and unfortunately, the latter's time has gone and are just part of the frontrunning pack.
Ironically, the style the Boks play is not flash, more like the donkey-gear of a 4x4, but in most cases will get to the top of the mountain. Most of the others will be left in a rut in its pretty 5th gear. It is THE one style that can undo most others.
Back to the rivalry, it will surely never wane, AB's may be in a bit of a hole but they definitely arent weak. There is no such thing as a poor AB team, just mismanaged. Maybe not as talented but Kiwis always found a way around it.
Dont feel too sorry for them, this coming weekend might just change all that very quickly.
As an AB's fan looking forward to this match with both anticipation and an element of trepidation. I hope they go well but I'm not entirely convinced by them at present.
It is curious that the major change for both teams is the inclusion of both squads’ most powerful driving hookers in the starting XV. Should be a good contest to watch for that reason alone. I honestly don’t think it will be a blow out for South Africa, despite the recent problems NZ has had. Still see them as clear favorites though.