The missing piece in the Springboks puzzle
Ireland’s win over the Springboks means we’re no closer to declaring with any certainty which of the two teams is the best in the world. But the drawn series does answer a question that has nagged South African sports fans for some time.
Why do the Springboks seem to play worse when they’re labelled as favourites? To ask the same question another way: Why do the Springboks play better when their backs are against the wall and expectations are low?
Nelson Mandela once said: “It always seems impossible until it’s done”. This quintessentially South African quote should be printed on every banknote as it captures an attitude that cuts across race and culture.
Tell a South African that they can’t do something and the general response will be one of defiance. “Oh, you think so, well I’m going to prove you wrong”. Vincent Koch, a double World Cup winner with a Lions series medal, two European Cups and a host of domestic gongs locked away in the safe, told me that he was more motivated by the avoidance of defeat rather than the pursuit of victory.
The middleweight champion of the UFC, Dricus du Plessis, coined the Afrikaans phrase: “Hulle weet nie was ons weet nie,” which means, “They don’t know what we know”. That line has been emblazoned on t-shirts, on billboards and was stretched across the highest stand at Loftus Versfeld for the opening Test against Ireland. The message is clear: If you’re not from South Africa, if you weren’t raised with your toes in its red soil, if you didn’t fuel yourself on red meat straight from the flames, then you’ll never understand what motivates South Africans to raise their game, to defy the odds, to feed the self-perpetuating mythology that is now intrinsically linked with the Springboks.
More than that, you also can’t tell a South African what to do. We’re a stubborn people, set in our ways and not defined by the mores of others. Often this can backfire, where we cut our noses off to spite our face, or grow complacent when the task appears simple. Perhaps this is why the traffic lights don’t work and no dinner date ever starts on time.
Does this mean that we can draw a clear thread connecting an apparent national trait and the exploits of a nation’s sports teams? Of course it’s not as simple as all that, but the Springboks have provided a sizable sample to support this theory.
Let’s begin with last year’s World Cup, surely the greatest run to the title made by any team after three back-to-back one-point wins in the knockouts. That first victory, over France, was procured in a cauldron of noise and a sea of enmity.
But then in the semi-final, against an England outfit that had hobbled their way to the last four, the Boks looked spooked. Bereft of ideas and getting beaten at their own game, they only clicked into gear once their dream started to slip from their fingers.
And then in the final, after a barnstorming opening half and the red card of Sam Cane, they faded away. Sure the All Blacks rallied and Richie Mo’unga put on a masterclass, but it is an indictment on the men in green that they couldn’t land a blow against 14 men. Although maybe it was the expectation of a New Zealand comeback that compelled those men in green to make tackle after tackle after tackle and hold on for a famous win.
![Springboks](https://eu-cdn.rugbypass.com/webp-images/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Malcolm-Marx-Springboks-Ireland-2024.jpg.webp?maxw=766&comp=95)
Not convinced? Here are a few other examples where the Springboks kicked off with high hopes but fell short: 15 July 2023, a 35-20 loss in Auckland was marked by a shocking opening period in which the All Blacks caught the Boks cold by racing to a 17-0 lead; 27 August 2022, a 25-17 loss to Australia in Adelaide a week after the Wallabies were hammered by Argentina; 13 August 2022, a 35-23 loss to New Zealand in Johannesburg a week after a comfortable win over the same opposition in Mbombela; 24 July 2021, a 17-22 defeat to the British & Irish Lions after so much hype and expectation that the world champions, despite their enforced hiatus from the covid pandemic, would steamroll a below par touring side.
That loss against the best of the Home Nations in an empty Cape Town Stadium prompted Rassie Erasmus to record an hour-long diatribe against the match officials. He insinuated that Siya Kolisi had been disrespected because of the colour of his skin. The entire South African rugby public adopted a siege mentality and the players responded, recognising that one more poor result would see them lose the series. There was only going to be one winner after all that frenzy. As I wrote two weeks ago, the Springboks are the masters at taking offence. Putting them in a corner and telling them they’re bringing the game into disrepute only makes them stronger. Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie. You think we can’t do something? Just wait and see.
Dennis Brutus, a journalist and anti-apartheid activist best known for his campaign to get South Africa banned from the Olympic Games, published a poem in 1963 titled ‘Somehow We Survive’. This, for me, encapsulates the spirit of Mzanzi. Despite all the troubles and challenges, the pot-holes and blackouts, the crime and the unrest, society functions. Of course it could be better. Who wouldn’t want a national rail system or a cleaner energy plan or a fly-half that can both kick poles and ignite a backline? But we take what we can get.
What does this mean for the number-one ranked team moving forward? They’ll soon embark on a Rugby Championship campaign that is there for the taking. The Wallabies are a shadow of their former selves, Argentina’s Pumas barely play together and the All Blacks are still a work in progress. This Springboks side is stacked with gnarled veterans and exciting youngsters. They should be winning this competition. Then again, that could be the reason why they won’t.
It’s simple. One team has the Webb Ellis trophy in their cabinet and is ranked #1 on the IRB rankings and the other team has neither. No further debate required.
Boks are double world cup champs (have won half the world cups they have entered - this unlikely to be superseded) won the 2021 Bils series in SA and are ranked number 1 by World Rugby - ranking Ireland above them is a denial of the facts.
Plus if Boks had experienced full back on in last game v Ireland they would not have lost as Willie for eg would have let that grubber run out for a Bok lineout on 79 plus mins.
I for one am tired about reading about my people’s country, our psyche. Past, and present problems. Nelson Mandela and Siya Kolisi. It’s boring now.
Eggchasers has a lovely video about his recent trip to SA to watch the Irish series. For a more balanced view of what it’s like here at “ground zero”.
Ireland fought back and won a tight contest. After they lost in a prior game. So I’m not sure why whenever they win, there’s any need to debate who is the best. And here’s another non-Irish person bringing it up. Again. Gawd.
Can we talk about rugby more than the other stuff? Or should I expect an article soon about how brexit has doomed England to stay at no. 5 in the world?
PS. Loadshedding seems to have ended. I mean we won’t count our chickens just yet. But it’s just the potholes and crime we have to endure now.
They can only win when the ref is incompetent and gives them the undeserved victory.
See; Barnes, O'Keeffe, Whitehouse, Pearce.
When the ref does their job correctly, the Boks rightfully lose because they’re really jot that great a team.
Id be frustrating I was a Bok fan to have to aceept that. Alas, all of them are utter thickos who spew shite to cover these facts.
“This Springboks side is stacked with gnarled veterans and exciting youngsters”
I think you meant to say that this springboks side is stacked with gnarled veterans.
Springboks don’t do well when favorites. Fact. Rassie and co must take that to heart. Do something about it. It's the point of difference from the great All Blacks team of the 2010's.
I struggle to take this analysis of the South African psyche seriously when the author is sitting on a British passport in London. Dricus du Plessis will tell Daniel Gallan the same thing he told Adesanye. Your address and your (South) Africaness go together…
Love this article. As a kiwi living in SA, I recognise the things you are talking about through my interactions with my great SA mates over a 14 year period.