Jacques van der Westhuyzen

By Jacques van der Westhuyzen

Head of Sport


OPINION: Boks at the peak of their powers

Two big Tests lie ahead for the world champions, against Scott Robertson's All Blacks.


The Springboks are clearly working towards winning three World Cups in a row, the coaches and some of the players have said as much, but they now have a great chance to also win this year’s Rugby Championship, which would just cement their place as the top team in the game.

After years of struggling to win in Australia, they have now won two matches in a row, with two different teams and in very different conditions. On both occasions they scored four tries to bank a bonus point to sit atop the competition points table.

And while bigger Tests lie ahead, against New Zealand and Argentina, they could not have wished for a better start to their campaign.

It’s no surprise people like former Wallaby great Tim Horan and others are full of praise for the Boks.

Under Rassie Erasmus they have grown tremendous depth and a winning mentality and if they continue to perform like they have, they’re going to be very much in the mix again at the 2027 World Cup.

Rugby Championship

For now though the focus is on the Rugby Championship and you can be sure the much-hyped Scott Robertson is a little nervous ahead of the All Blacks’ two meetings with the Boks in Joburg and Cape Town in the coming weeks. Let’s not forget his side have already lost to Argentina this season.

“They’re going to be very hard to beat in this Rugby Championship,” Horan said of the Boks.

Come rain or shine, it seems, or making 10 changes from week to the next, makes no difference currently. Yes, there are better players than others in each position in the Bok squad, but there is very little difference between those players, if we’re honest.

Erasmus has built a Bok group that seems to be at the peak of its powers, and the scary thing is they’re still making errors and not taking all their chances. Imagine what they could do to teams when they become properly ruthless.

The Boks’ next two Tests will tell us a lot about this Bok squad and how they have developed. For now, let’s enjoy their success.

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