Springboks: From ‘baddies’ to rugby’s unstoppable force – UK columnist
A UK columnist argues that it's time to drop the "baddies" label for the Springboks and recognise Rassie Erasmus' team as one of the most dominant forces in modern Test rugby.
UK columnist Robert Kitson argues that it’s time to move on from portraying the Springboks as the “baddies” of Test rugby and give Rassie Erasmus’ charges the credit they deserve.
Writing for the Guardian, Kitson highlights how the Springboks have evolved beyond their past reputation and are now setting a new standard in world rugby under the leadership of Rassie Erasmus.
According to Kitson, winning a Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019, alongside two World Cup victories and the 2021 British & Irish Lions series win, showcases that the Boks are becoming Test rugby’s most successful team.
“Portraying South Africa as the pantomime baddies of the Test game was, for a lengthy period, all too tempting,” Kitson writes.
“The Boks were not necessarily renowned for their beautiful rugby – the last British & Irish Lions series in 2021 drained almost everyone’s spirits and there are only so many gleeful Bomb Squad references that the rest of the world can stomach.
“And now? Let’s just say the evidence is increasingly indisputable: Erasmus and co are showing the aforementioned global rugby community the way forward.
“Whether their rivals are willing to acknowledge it or not, the Springboks are threatening to become – if they are not there already – the professional era’s most consistent winning machine.
“Yes, the All Blacks hoisted two World Cups in a row, in 2011 and 2015, and won Rugby Championships for fun, but even they never possessed the sheer weight of simultaneous silverware that this Bok squad are amassing.”
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