GAVIN RICH: Forget golden era, Boks headed for dominance

There was understandable talk after the Springboks buried Argentina to wrap up the Rugby Championship trophy in such fine style of this being a golden era, but I would disagree with those who say it is a time to hold on to and cherish by SA fans.

At least not if in saying that there is an implication that it is a time that will just be a passing phase in SA rugby history, like for instance the period between 2007 and 2009, that won’t last forever. Yes, sport does go in cycles, and given how they are determined by knock-out games, it would be a tall order indeed to keep winning World Cup titles.

The Boks could easily have been blown out of the last World Cup in either the quarterfinal or semifinal. The winning of the global showpiece tournament is a lot about just what happens on the day, and there is luck involved.

It is also true that the mastermind of the Bok rugby success story, Rassie Erasmus, can’t coach forever. At some point he’s going to retire, and when that happens, there will be a period of transition. Rassie is going to be hard to replace.

However, there have been advances made in SA rugby in the past few years, and not all of them have just been driven by Erasmus, that could set up the Boks for a sustained period of dominance such as the one enjoyed by the All Blacks for several decades.

The All Blacks only won two World Cup trophies between 1995 and 2019 but they were recognised as the most consistent dominant force in the game in that period, and the Boks could be heading in that direction.

The first reason I say that is because of the depth that is being created and will continue to be created through SA’s participation in the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup. Being committed to those two competitions, with a number of understrength games included in the schedule, means the franchises have to grow depth to levels that weren’t necessary in what was a lot briefer and mostly full strength Super Rugby season.

The greater number of players exposed to a high level of rugby has to have positive spin-offs. It is noticeable how the Boks are becoming more reliant on home based players than the players based overseas. All of the many new players introduced to international rugby during the Boks’ southern hemisphere campaign are based in SA and have come out of the URC.

Then there is the Erasmus selection policy. He was the first to admit after the annihilation of Argentina that changing up selections and the resultant lack of continuity might have stymied his team at times this year. It might explain the perception that even though they’ve won all but two games, they haven’t always fired on all cylinders.

Those growing pains though are also rooted in the third big positive factor that should drive the Boks forward to a new level — the introduction of foreign influence to the coaching team, and in particular the arrival of Tony Brown, and the new dynamic he brings to the attacking game.

Many of the international coaches who have brought teams here during the post-isolation years, meaning the last three decades, have spoken in private about how the one saving grace for them when they play the Boks is that the Boks don’t know how good they could be if they shook off their conservative shackles.

There’s a lot of talent in this country, and it is not just based in the forwards. Even before Brown’s arrival, when Felix Jones was still with the Boks and charged with looking after the attack, the South Africans were starting to embrace a more attacking game.

Under Brown though it threatens to go to a different level, and the first 20 minutes of the Santiago game against Argentina and then for the entire 80 minutes at the Mbombela Stadium we were presented with a masterclass indication of where the Boks might be heading.

That is not to say they eschew their traditional strengths, for they didn’t in Mbombela. What buried Argentina was a combination of forward power and brute strength and flair that has seldom, if ever, been mixed into the same Bok cocktail in the past.

From the vantage point of the press box, which is perched high so you get a good idea of space, some of the work done by the Boks in creating space was nothing short of sublime, with Manie Libbok excelling with his passing game and flourishing without the added responsibility of being the front-line place-kicker.

To me though the most noticeable standout was the handling skills, which have gone up several levels and continue to do so. There was a time when the Boks were too much broadsword and not enough rapier, but now they have both. And it is laying the foundation for a sustained period of dominance, not just a fleeting one.