OPINION: Boks at the top of their game … and getting better

There is no doubt the Springboks are in a purple patch and long may it continue.

In fact, there’s no reason why it won’t go on for quite a lot longer such is the squad depth and winning mentality created by coach Rassie Erasmus.

Opponents of the Springboks, now two-time world champions and 2024 Rugby Championship winners, must almost certainly be a little worried about how they’ll get the better of this Bok team in the months and years to come, even if they’re not saying it aloud.

Yes, the Boks have lost matches – twice already this year, though by a single point to Ireland and Argentina – and they’re far from being perfect, but they’ve grown into a side that’s just hard to get on top of over 80 minutes and if we’re honest they’ve got very few weaknesses.

Many pundits, even those who reside outside South Africa, believe the Boks are better now than they were a year ago when they won the 2023 World Cup, to go with the one in 2019, and they’d be right.

Depth

Scarily, this Bok squad seems to be getting stronger and better all the time.

The addition of Ireland’s Jerry Flannery and New Zealand’s Tony Brown to the coaching team this season has been a masterstroke by Erasmus. The Boks are as brutal as ever in the forwards, but there’s now also real flair to their attack and for the most part their defence is also as solid as ever.

The depth in the group has been spoken about regularly in recent months but it is worth mentioning again. The Boks won the Rugby Championship, in dominant fashion, without the likes of Damian Willemse, Faf de Klerk, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, RG Snyman, and Steven Kitshoff.

Many youngsters have also been backed so far this year and for the most part they have delivered.

The Springboks are in a good place – and they’re good for this country – and now we wait to see what they do in different conditions in Europe in November, against Scotland, England and Wales. I wonder what the mindset and thoughts of the coaches of those three teams must be right now.