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'The worst thing for us': Former captain on what makes the Springboks uncomfortable

25 Oct 2023

Pieter-Steph Du Toit of South Africa celebrates following the team’s victory during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between England and South Africa at Stade de France on October 21, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

As the Springboks prepare to meet the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final for the second time, former World Cup-winning captain John Smit has explained what makes South Africa uncomfortable.

After winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup they took over the number one ranking but that tag didn’t sit well, with South Africa dropping three Tests in a row after the Lions series and failing to retain the Rugby Championship trophy.

In three years as world champions South Africa failed to win any of the Rugby Championship tournaments.

Smit explained that wearing the favourites tag is uncomfortable for South Africa as it robs them of their fighting mentality that they use as fuel.

“I think it has to do with where we come from, we are quite resilient,” he explained to The Official Rugby World Cup podcast.

“We always feel back home we are fighting through something, for something. Things aren’t always comfortable, it can be a struggle back home for a lot of people.

“Our mentality is to always knuckle down and rise up against adversity and overcome. That is why I think we fit into that seat a little bit around ‘stuff them, we want to climb up that mountain’.

“The worst thing for us is to sit on top and talk about how good we are.”

Head-to-Head

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First try wins

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Home team wins

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Former hooker Shalk Brits, who was a squad member of the 2019 side, also agreed saying that Rassie Erasmus will want the underdog tag heading into the final.

South Africa stunned England four years ago sitting in a similar position after Eddie Jones’ side beat a favoured All Blacks side in the semi-final.

“The South African perspective is we like to have our backs against the wall,” he said.

“We want to be the underdogs. That is what Rassie [Erasmus] will say.”

Brits believed that the final would hinge on the start and he revealed his biggest fear for the final is the All Blacks jumping out to a quick lead.

At Mt Smart in Auckland the All Blacks raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first 20 minutes which proved insurmountable.

In the 2019 World Cup pool game it was a similar story with two quick tries in the first half putting the All Blacks up 17-3. They went on to win 23-13.

“That is my biggest fear in the game [a poor start]. When we put New Zealand under the pump, from the word go and the way we defend, we want teams to start running against us.

“We saw against England, they kicked a lot and turned our rush defence around a lot.”

Comments

29 Comments

Daniel 516 days ago

I would use the Mbonambi saga as fuel if I were Rassie. I would frame it as an attack, which might be complete nonsense, but whatever works in your changeroom on the day. It’s about what people believe.

Jacque 516 days ago

I don’t care what “Ben Smith” “writes” on RugbyPass. He is a CHILD when it comes to the Boks.

I don’t understand how he can still be allowed to “write” stuff here when you look at his X (twitter) account.
It’s not even that has an opinion… he’s like a 5th grader with ZERO knowledge of rugby.

Ian Cameron, Hamish Bidwell & rest of the guys write decent stuff… then there’s this bloke…

Frank 516 days ago

John the only thing that matters is the World Cup. No matter the Championships etc. tests, the World Cup is all that matters.

CT 516 days ago

The last match between the two,i didn't see the ABs do anything for about the first 60 minutes Boks shut them down 2023 Twickenham repeat on it's way ,roll on all the excuses😉 it wasn’t a real match,it was just for fun,we only had 14 players,if so the AB’s should have refused to play if they weren’t serious, they were overwhelmed.As I undersand the AB’s as a team always go on a field to win,Not?

Snash 516 days ago

Hey Ben, will we see you writing here soon after the final (and about the final) regardless who wins? Asking for some friends 😎

William 516 days ago

Rugby Pass we can all write Ben Smith’s drivel for you after the final, free of charge.

If NZ win it will be how incredibly this team is, without peers. Also about the magnificent turn around from their mid world cup cycle slump.

If the Boks win, he will highlight that they are a cup team, a lucky one at best. not worth mentioning in the same breath as the AB all conquering 2011-2015 team, that also went back to back.

See easy, mahala. Hope we are treated to awesome rugby, Boks v All Blacks, once in a generation occasion!!

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Comments on RugbyPass

Poorfour 39 minutes ago

Antoine Dupont undergoes surgery on injured knee ahead of long absence

So “it wasn’t foul play because it wasn’t foul play” is - to you - not only an acceptable answer but the only possible answer?

I would hope that the definition of foul play is clear enough that they can say “that wasn’t foul play - even though it resulted in a serious injury - because although player A did not wrap with the right arm, he entered the ruck through the gate and from a legal angle at a legal height, and was supporting his own weight until player B entered the ruck behind him and pushed him onto player C’s leg” or “that wasn’t foul play although players D and E picked player F out of a ruck, tipped him upside down and dropped him on his shoulder because reasons.”

Referees sometimes offer a clear explanation, especially when in discussion with the TMO, but they don’t always, especially for incidents that aren’t reviewed on field. It’s also a recognised flaw in the bunker system that there isn’t an explanation of the card decisions - I’d personally prefer the bunker to prepare a short package of the best angles and play back to the ref their reasoning, with the ref having the final say, like an enhanced TMO. It would cost a few more seconds, but would help the crowd to understand.

Greater clarity carries with it risks - not least that if the subsequent feedback is at odds with the ref’s decision they run the risk of harassment on social media - but rugby is really struggling to show that it can manage these decisions consistently, and offering a clear explanation after the fact would help to ensure better consistency in officiating in future.

9 Go to comments

SH 1 hour ago

How to solve a problem like Welsh rugby

I don’t even think the U20s are much of a crumb of comfort to be honest - they only really did what Welsh teams have done to plenty of highly fancied English teams before them and ambushed them in Cardiff with lots of PASHUN LADS etc. If you’d ask me which of the two teams will make a dent at the forthcoming JWC, it won’t be Wales. It also doesn’t seem to matter how talented Wales are at age grade, the players stagnate once they reach the regions, hence why Gatland was often keen on fast tracking youth.

11 Go to comments

YeowNotEven 2 hours ago

'There's a lot of rugby knowledge': David Havili's reasoning behind in-form backline

Man I would love Cullen Grace to kick on. When he first got picked I thought he was going to own a shirt and do what Wallace did.

Takes some players a bit longer to develop.

31 Go to comments

GP 2 hours ago

Former New Zealand flanker and coach Alex ‘Grizz’ Wyllie dies

Agree with you. Certain people you think they will be here forever . Also about the age comment. Correct. Like you would do you often think back to past events and realize that so much time has gone by. It will be 40 years in September since the Canterbury-Auckland “Match of the Century”.Incredible.Two of the main stays of that Canterbury team , Jock Hobbs , (2012) and his Brother in Law Bruce Deans , ( 2019), have passed away. Bruce Deans played every minute of the 27 games , including the winning match Wellington , (1982) and the losing Auckland , (1985) games. John Drake and Andy Haden who were both in the Auckland team have passed and Peter Fatialofa , who I think was on the bench.

3 Go to comments

YeowNotEven 2 hours ago

'There's a lot of rugby knowledge': David Havili's reasoning behind in-form backline

By the end of last season neither Telea or Reece were at their best.

At that point, when players look a yard behind the pace I reckon razor should give someone young and hungry and keen a crack at it.

31 Go to comments

Head high tackle 2 hours ago

Sky Sports commentator on why Wallabies players are outplaying All Blacks counterparts

I think the draw needs to be sorted out. Its horribably unfair. Either make it 10 rounds or 20 rounds.

16 Go to comments

Head high tackle 2 hours ago

Sky Sports commentator on why Wallabies players are outplaying All Blacks counterparts

Tupaea and Tavitavinawi against any other 12s. If she believes Canham is outperforming Barrett thats cool but what were the stats from the game they played each other? it was a 30 point thrashing from memory

16 Go to comments

Head high tackle 2 hours ago

Sky Sports commentator on why Wallabies players are outplaying All Blacks counterparts

But surely a players stats are better when they play weak opposition? Were Canhams stats better than Barrets when they played against each other caz from memory the Crusaders thrashed the Reds.

What is desperately needed is a fair and equal draw. The skewed draw skews all stats.

16 Go to comments

Head high tackle 2 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

A draft is unenforsible. Its a restraint of practice. NRL draft lasted a couple of years before a player from Manly didnt want to shift to where he was drafted to and that was across town. Forcing a player into a draft then making him shift to another country miles from his family wouldnt last the first draft. Imagine a young fella from a small town out of Dunedin being forced to move to Perth where he has no family whatsoever. I could see a court decision being asked for very quickly.

16 Go to comments

JH 2 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

MP are a NZ side through and through, NZ is even having to pay for it. It was only really set up to stop the constant whinging (when nothing was stopping a pi player playing for any side in Super Rugby) and as a front to whisper in the ears of NZ and Aussie born players of Pi heritage that they’ll never make the ABs or Wallabies, switch to Tonga and Samoa instead. It’s becoming the jump-ship/zero loyalty joke that international League is.

For some reason it’s ‘poaching’ when any other nations do it, but not when the ‘poor islands’ do it, and statistically, they’re right up there with Scotland and Japan in terms of poached players. Not one of these Kiwis and Aussies would go live in the Islands to satisfy any criteria, and I’d say most of them have hardly ever set foot in the islands, outside of a holiday.

They should make the rule that you either have to be born in a nation, or that you’ve spent two-thirds of your life there. That rule would be good for NZ. But then watch the usual sector complain how that unfairly penalizes their national side because they’d lose all their imports. Can’t win.

16 Go to comments

JH 3 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

So rules created to fill the Samoan and Tongan sides with Aussie and Kiwi born and developed players is what Taylah Johnson is saying. Well, those two ‘island’ sides are increasingly less so by the year, so mission accomplished there, and it ultimately doesn’t make them any more competitive.

Kyren Taumoefolau is a NZer. He’s come through all the NZR systems and he wants to play for the All Blacks, so what? The only people making an issue of this are the ones who are always keen to play the victim card. It’s okay for them to poach with rules that are openly designed for them to do so, but heaven forbid a Kiwi or Aussie wants to play for the nation of their birth. Good grief.

16 Go to comments

Rugby 101 - Ed Pye 3 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Johnson’s point is that Aussie teams filled with Australians makes the wallabies strong, but the Aussies teams have had bit-time NZ players for ever and the Wallabies have been both good and bad, so the point has limited support. Mils didn't explain it very well but a drafted comp would even out the competition which would allow Australian teams to win more which I believe would do more for the wallabies than having Aussie players in Aussie teams.

16 Go to comments

lK 3 hours ago

Super Rugby U20: Crusaders beat Chiefs to win back to back titles

👍🏼

1 Go to comments

CO 4 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Australian rugby has always been weak apart from the Eales era.

It's getting absolutely weakened having to share talent with the two other oval ball games of League and AFL. It gets kiwis over to fill out sides to plug holes.

The limitations with an equitable draft is NZ players aren't eligible to play for the Allblacks from offshore. However on both sides of the Tasman a draft system could be useful.

16 Go to comments

DC 4 hours ago

Ex-England star's hat-trick helps Force to Super win over Fijian Drua

To Nic Dolly and ex England “star” is pushing it a bit. Ex England player would be more accurate.

1 Go to comments

CO 4 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

He's a Kiwi, born and raised in NZ. I think he should need to go and permanently reside in Tonga and play their domestic comps with a five year stand down.

I don't see any benefit to NZ rugby with all these players representing the islands and other countries but actually living here and taking up spots in our professional NPC and super sides.

The Moana side seems to be being paid for by the NZ taxpayer, money that could be going into NZ rugby.

Rugby's hugely expensive to fund and NZ rugby needs to get back to number one to win back sponsors, it won't do so giving everyone else a lot of it's best players.

Fiji is a viable rugby nation with it's sides talent overwhelmingly coming from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa should have to do the same.

I fully understand this idea that NZ should support the islands but I'm not seeing the benefits for NZ just more player drain.

The real problem though is the top NZ talent being poached by England, Wales, France, Japan, Scotland, Ireland. That's genuinely disgraceful.

16 Go to comments

olivia matt7777 4 hours ago

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JW 4 hours ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Of course he can represent New Zealand. He can play for any other team other than the All Blacks - like Fabian Holland did last year with the New Zealand XV - this year, and represent the ABs next year. That’s an entirely normal and expected position for any new talent to be in, regardless of having played for another country before.