The Springboks were finally rewarded for all their effort and sacrifice in a 17-week odyssey since the start of the international season, by deservedly coming out on top, 31-29 (halftime 14-20), over New Zealand in a nail-biting Castle Lager Rugby Championship classic in Gold Coast, Australia.
This win helped a lot to re-install the trust in and passion for the Springboks and the Springbok coaching staff and management. However, if one sits down and analyse the performance of the past two tests against the All Blacks it is clear that all is not well in the Springbok camp.
The passion the Springboks play rugby with is well-known but was absent starting with the tests against Argentina and reached a low-point against Australia. Fortunately, this seemed to be in place again, for how long? Who would know?
The victorious last test against the All Blacks showed a significant move away from the "Skop en Storm" game plan. Unfortunately, I do not see this to be a permanent shift as excuses for this shift provided by the Springbok coaching staff still defends the "Skop en Storm" ideology.
Secondly, the players that are not on form, is still being protected and will for the foreseeable future be included in the Springbok squad for upcoming tours and tests.
The Springboks Still Need To Fix Several Problem Areas Before End Of Year Tour - We Discuss
A poor Willie le Roux was replaced by an average Frans Steyn. The opportunity to give a brilliant Aphelele Fassi exposure to these high-pressure internationals was sacrificed to protect Willie le Roux who is no longer of international quality. Therefore, the selection to select Steyn was a "wise" one, taking into account the lack of development.
At the inside centre, we do still have a problem as Damian de Allende lacks the finesse required to be an international centre. Again the opportunity to develop future stars was put on the back burner. Damian Willemse showed at Currie Cup level that the initial excitement of this brilliant talent was never realised. The reason for this is open for discussion.
At flyhalf, a struggling Pollard proved that again we do not have any quality backup at 10. Although Jantjies is a national hero today, and rightly so, he proved himself as a loose cannon which will win you one test and cost you three.
The only success story in developing young talent is at scrumhalf. The selection of Herschel Jantjies is debatable, like most players' in Springbok rugby, however, a young star is slowly introduced to the Springbok setup.
The loosies South African possesses of several brilliant up and coming superstars, they just need to be identified and exposed. However, a suitable replacement for Pieter Steph du Toit is problematic, to say the least. Luckily Siya Kolisi has proven himself at six and his passion has inspired his team.
At lock, South Africa has major problems. A serious injury to either Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth will be catastrophic. Unfortunately, Franco Moster and Marvin Orie are not at the same level as Lood and Eben. RG Snyman and Janse van Rensburg could be alternatives, however again, Janse needs exposure and development. In South Africa, there is a serious problem with no immediate successors for Eben and Loot.
Luckily in the frontrow, we are healthy and all ok.
In short, gameplan and planning of the development of the next generation need immediate attention. Today.