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Springboks urged to clean sweep All Blacks to prove their world champion credentials

(Photo by Mike Hewitt / Getty Images)

As the dust settles from the Springboks’ World Cup-winning exploits in Japan, the South Africans are being urged to prove their status as world champions with a clean sweep over the All Blacks next year.

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Rassie Erasmus’ squad have been touring around the country in celebration of their World Cup victory, but one of South Africa’s leading rugby writers, Robert Houwing of Sport 24, believes the Boks can’t rest on their laurels leading into 2020.

“Clawing back some much-needed statistical terrain from their fiercest rivals of all – the All Blacks – will be one of the major priorities for Erasmus as he shifts more actively into his role as director of rugby from 2020 onward,” he wrote in a Sport24 piece published on Thursday.

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The All Blacks will face the Springboks twice next season as part of the annual Rugby Championship, and Houwing said that defeating the Kiwis, the world’s second-ranked side, in both fixtures will be imperative as they “must include a spirited quest to start beating New Zealand more regularly again”.

While South Africa finished 2019 as both Rugby Championship and World Cup titleholders, Houwing questioned their pool play defeat at the hands of the All Blacks, which was the only blemish on their journey to lifting the Webb Ellis Cup.

“If Siya Kolisi’s World Cup champions aspire to only grow and prove their RWC success was no flash in the plan, they must target not just retention of the Championship crown, but ideally victory – formidable though the requirement is – in both the home and away clashes with the old enemy in 2020,” he said.

“That would really be a major statement of Bok intentions going forward, with both Erasmus and Kolisi still very much at the fulcrum of things.”

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The Springboks haven’t beaten the All Blacks both home and away since 2009, when they won in Bloemfontein and Hamilton en route to claiming the old Tri Nations title.

New Zealand still lead one of rugby’s premier rivalries 59-36 overall, with four draws.

“The last time the All Blacks failed to win the World Cup – but South Africa again did – in 2007, the Boks couldn’t establish specific supremacy over NZ the following season: they were outdone 2-1, including a Newlands match where the hosts couldn’t notch a single point in a 19-0 setback,” Houwing noted.

“Will the current world-champion Boks be guilty of the same ‘mistake’, so soon after their global crowning?

“They SHOULD be capable of significantly better against their fiercest historical foes in 2020.”

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R
RedWarrior 10 minutes ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

1 Go to comments
G
GS 1 hour ago
Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

The key is realising this AB side is not what they are now but what they will be in 2025/26.


You can already see a Power bench forming, and I would highlight that people watch the AB XV game vs Munster and watch Fabian Holland - he, in the next 24 months, will be WC and bring some huge physicality to the team.


Then, aligned with Peter Lakai, probably at 7, another WC talent, the AB pack by 2026 will probably both be starting and on the bench - be rated as No 1 or 2 packs in the world.


Then, there is the usual WC talent around the backline, and the missing link is Mo'unga. Unlike in last year's WC, the coming forward pack for the ABs, is similar to the Bok pack, It will be packed full of power, and the key to this is a realitively young pack.


So I think we will lose to Ireland and France in the coming weeks, but watch out as this pack builds into - I mean, look at the tight five and loose forwards that are coming for the ABs - De Groot, Lomax, Williams, Tosi, Taylor, Ofa T, Samson T, Aumua, Patrick T, Barrett, Vai, Fabian H, Setiti, Lakai, Savea, Frizzell (understand they are attempting to get him and Mo'unga back), Blackadder, Papalii and bar Barrett, Savea, Patrick T, Taylor - pretty young in international terms.


Huge front row starting and on bench, Power locks and usual class in loose forwards - only missing ingredient is a WC 10 and with Mo'unga back probably in 2026, these ABs are trending in a very healthy direction.

89 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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