Springbok players celebrate a try being scored. Picture: EPA-EFE/Jono Searle
The Springboks are on a remarkable run of form, which has seen them win 20 of their last 23 Test matches going back to their end of year tour of Europe in November 2022.
Since losing the first two games on that trip, narrow defeats to Ireland (16-19) and France (26-30), the Boks won their next two games in Europe, against Italy and England, and then have gone on to lose just three games up to today.
In between the Boks won the World Cup last year, despite a pool stage loss to Ireland, while they have also won the Nelson Mandela Plate (against Australia) and Freedom Cup (against New Zealand) this season.
The Boks also lost to Ireland in July this year (24-25) after a last second drop-goal robbed them of what would have been a 2-0 series win.
The Boks have since started the Rugby Championship in the best possible way with two away wins against the Wallabies in Australia and two home wins against the All Blacks. Rassie Erasmus’ team need only two bonus points to bag the title this season.
The world champions are next up against Argentina in Santiago next Saturday and then again in Mbombela the week after.
While Erasmus played down the Boks’ current four-match winning run against their biggest rivals, the All Blacks, he expressed his pleasure in his team’s current good run of form.
“We are currently on 20 wins in 23 games, which is special, but it is always important to stay in reality and keep working hard,” said Erasmus after the Boks’ latest win against the All Blacks, an 18-12 win in Cape Town at the weekend.
Most impressive about the Boks’ performances in the last year and half is that many of their wins have come away from home and on neutral territory, a clear indication the Boks are comfortable to play anywhere.
Erasmus and Co though will be tested in the next two Rugby Championship games, in Argentina and then in Mbombela. Los Pumas are second on the Rugby Championship log, with 10 points to the Boks’ 18, but they will go into next Saturday’s Test on the back of a 67-27 win against Australia in Sante Fe, while earlier in the competition they also beat the All Blacks 38-30 in Wellington.
And if, as Erasmus has suggested, the Boks don’t send their strongest team to Argentina for the round five match, there’s a chance the home side can pick up a third win in the competition and close the gap on the Boks, before coming to South Africa for what will effectively be a Rugby Championship final at the Mbombela Stadium.
7 Sept 2024 New Zealand (h) win 18-12
31 August 2024 New Zealand (h) win 31-27
17 August 2024 Australia (a) win 30-12
10 August 2024 Australia (a) win 33-7
20 July 2024 Portugal (a) win 64-21
13 July 2024 Ireland (h) lose 24-25
6 July 2024 Ireland (h) win 27-20
22 June 2024 Wales (n) win 41-13
28 October 2023 New Zealand (n) win 12-11
21 October 2023 England (n) win 16-15
15 October 2023 France (n) win 29-28
1 October 2023 Tonga (n) win 49-18
23 September 2023 Ireland (n) lose 8-13
17 September 2023 Romania (n) win 76-0
10 September 2023 Scotland (n) win 18-3
25 August 2023 New Zealand (n) win 35-7
19 August 2023 Wales (a) win 52-16
5 August 2023 Argentina (a) win 24-13
29 July 2023 Argentina (h) win 22-21
15 July 2023 New Zealand (a) lose 35-20
8 July 2023 Australia (h) win 43-12
26 November 2022 England (a) win 27-13
19 November 2022 Italy (a) win 63-21
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
