A Rugby Feast Awaits

Gordon Ramsay could not have cussed and cooked his way to a better main meal for the Springboks in 2024 than South Africa versus Ireland on Saturday 6 July at Loftus, followed by what presents itself, seven days later at Kings Park, as a meal fit for rugby royalty. The victor’s spoils: silencing another monarchy laying claim to hegemonic status.

Going into last year’s World Cup, Ireland laid claim to the number one spot in the world. A position they held for the 15 months prior. Coming out of the tournament, Rassie Erasmus was quite literally in their heads, as the old Cranberries hit goes, and South Africa usurped their ranking position as world champions. The once-fabled All Blacks may have reached the final against the Springboks, but third place in the world appears to be about as entrenched for the men of the long white cloud as coalition politics is in the political discourse of the country hosting the upcoming rugby feast. The shade of the earthy tone may vary from encounter to encounter but green definitely appears to be the new black.

Changing courses

New Zealand remains in a quandary as to how to protect their domestic game as their finest homegrown products go on sabbatical to Japan and the true stewing pot of the world’s best players, Europe. Australasian franchises, such as the also once-fabled Hurricanes, are reporting million-dollar losses since SA Rugby hedged its bets on a vertical integration away from SANZAAR from a franchise perspective. It is in this new sea South African fish have found new aquatic apex predators – the likes of Irish juggernauts Leinster, Munster and Connacht.

Of the final four teams in this year’s United Rugby Championships (URC), two (Munster and Leinster) hail from the Emerald Isle. Scotland were represented by Glasgow Warriors, which also knocked out South Africa’s Stormers at the quarter-final stage. The Bulls represented the pride of Mzansi in a place for the finals of the showpiece competition.

The unabated shift of the balance of power from rugby’s south to north continues with teams from the southern tip of Africa willingly suffering whiplash from this wild ride. The unintended consequence is that South African rugby fans have cast a beady eye all season on the wealth of players who’ve donned their franchise colours in the URC, and over two weekends in July will also be donning national team colours against the reigning world champions. Get ready once again to watch, through tiny gaps between fingers covering terrified eyes, the attacking exploits of the likes of Van de Flier, Furlong and Doris. Springbok inside centre and former Munster number 12 Damien de Allende has been widely quoted as suggesting the two-test series will be like a war. The battleground shifting from pseudo-regional to all-out nation versus nation.

The main course

Friends and colleagues, who through their black cards at local banking institutions, hold their early-offer tickets to these test matches like a badge of honour. They know what is at stake, grinning at the prospect of their sophisticated bully settling the score against the brawny geek and their terrifying brand of rugby. It will be a field battle of two distinctly different rugby cultures, success determined by how well each adapts to the other’s mode of attack.

As a unit, Ireland have already shown signs of picking up where they left off, post the World Cup. They were one win shy of a back-to-back grand slam in the Six Nations earlier this year. A last-ditch drop goal by England’s Marcus Smith killed that dream. Along the way, they beat France, Italy and Wales by 20 points or more.

In March of this year, you could not find an Irish pundit, analyst or rugby fan who did not reignite the debate, “Are the Boks truly the best team in the world?” Ireland coach Andy Farrell shut those mouths with green tape of a darker hue, saying all he wants is a chance to pit himself against the best in the world, adding that Erasmus’ men are 100 per cent the best.

Erasmus in his inimitable way used his first press conference of 2024 to say he wants to use the home series to rectify recent history. By recent history we can only assume Erasmus means that for which he is personally responsible.

In 2022, two second-half tries in the space of two minutes swung the momentum irrevocably in favour of Ireland, and they warmed a cold winter evening for a capacity crowd at the Aviva stadium in Dublin with a 19–16 win. That match was the first time the two sides met since South Africa were crowned world champs in Japan. This home series will be the first time the two sides meet since “operation repeat” in France. Honest reflection will have South Africans remembering two things: Ireland beat the Boks 13–8 in the pool phase of the World Cup and, as a not-so-old Irish folk tale reminds us, also holds a winning streak over the Boks that dates back to November 2017. For the preceding eight years, the margin between the two sides has not been more than six points. This was also the margin of victory for Ireland in their only win on South African soil in 2016, a 26–20 scoreline at Newlands. Farrell then is the coach with a much deeper wound to heal.

Springbok captain SIya Kolisi is one of Time Magazine’s most influential people on the planet over the past year. He has already acknowledged that he may not be the man to lead South Africa to an unprecedented third successive World Cup victory if that were to be the Bok team’s fate. Duane Vermeulen has swopped the green jersey for the Bok bomber jacket on the coaching side of the fence. Bongi Mbonambi will be 37 by the time the 2027 World Cup kicks off and Eben Etsebeth will turn 36 shortly after the Australia instalment. Both men, right now, appear to be in the prime of their playing careers, but four years down the line is another matter. Don’t expect the world to change overnight, but surely a two-test series against the dog biting at your heels will give us a glimpse of the shifting senior leadership group in the Springbok setup.

New cuts of sprinkbok meat

When Erasmus named his training squad for the first test of the year against Wales it was against the backdrop of injuries to the likes of Canan Moodie, Damian Willemse and Kurt Lee Arendse. Regulation 9 of World Rugby’s bible also excluded the European legion of Boks for consideration against the Dragons. It not only thrust 11 uncapped players into the rigours of battle preparation in Pretoria, but also gave us insight into the leanings of Erasmus’ think-tank at the onset of this current WorldCup cycle.

The uncapped players are Jordan Hendrikse, Quan Horn, Edwill van der Merwe, Morné van den Berg (Emirates Lions), Phepsi Buthelezi, Siya Masuku, Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ben-Jason Dixon, Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu, Neethling Fouché and Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers).

These players had stellar seasons with their respective franchises and will undoubtedly hurry any Bok with blinkers to reinstall their side view mirrors for the foreseeable future. There is plenty of rugby to be played in 2024 against a range of quality opposition teams. But how many of them will stay there till the next World Cup?

New cooks in the Bok kitchen 

The Springbok coaching gallery has a slightly different look to it this year. Jacques Nienaber has departed, leaving Erasmus to refill the immediate position as head coach. The main supporting actors in the cast of “Chasing the Sun 2” remain for the current cycle. They are boosted by former All Black Tony Brown and former Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery, while the man who gave credence to the 7–1 bench, Jaco Peyper, will advise on the best way to exploit the ever-changing rugby rule book, first published in 1871.

It’s a Michelin star in the making, but the restaurant known as the 2024 Springbok season can only be taste-tested once it is open for business.

Early alignment camps have given very little away as to how this brains’ trust will handle 16 of the World Cup winning squad of 33 players passing the age of 35 come the Rugby World Cup in 2027, but that is a process the fans will relish with glee. What will also leave us scoffing heaps is watching the Boks navigate a young and eager Australia on the rebuild, an All Black team searching for its authentic self and an Argentinian side in need of an engine overhaul – all of this under new leadership taking the trio to the next World Cup.

When Erasmus resumed head coach duties in February this year, his single promise for the next four years was to be more hands-on. Rugby brains here and abroad are drooling to see what that Bok world looks like.