Siya, Eben the standout players in a special Bok team of 2021

A week ago today the Springboks lost a thriller to England at Twickenham. It wasn’t the Boks’ best performance, but they got themselves into the battle and almost pulled it off.

While it was a disappointing loss to end the 2021 season, I think the Springbok results during the year were hugely satisfying.

To think the world champions didn’t play a game in 2020 and returned in the middle of this year to beat the British and Irish Lions is quite remarkable and worthy of applause.

Only a special, dedicated and determined team would have been able to pull that off, and that’s exactly what the Bok players and management staff are: special.

Having been forced to spend so much time away from home, living in bio bubbles and not being match fit, the players could easily have crawled into their shells, felt sorry for themselves and gone through the motions. They didn’t.

They accepted the challenges and took responsibility that came with the job and title of world champions, and they stood up and delivered.

The players who stood out for me this year were Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth. They were phenomenal and it is a crime that they weren’t nominated for World Rugby’s Player of the Year award.

Also, I thought Bongi Mbonambi, Trevor Nyakane and Ox Nche shone throughout the year, while it was pleasing to see Joseph Dweba, Jasper Wiese and Kwagga Smith get more game time and produce high-quality rugby.

It is a pity, however, that Aphelele Fassi didn’t get more opportunities, and I would have liked to see Hershel Jantjies start against a big first-tier nation like England last week. Grant Williams could also have gotten a chance somewhere this last month.

But the two losses suffered against Australia in the Rugby Championship probably prevented the Bok management playing the likes of the players named here, because the team was under pressure to win; they had to redeem themselves first, before considering developing players.

The big winner from the recent tour of the UK was, somewhat surprisingly, Frans Steyn. I doubt he was in the plans before the tour – Damian Willemse was earmarked to start at fullback with Willie le Roux as his backup – but that idea was quickly changed when Willemse picked up an injury in the opening minutes of the first tour game.

Steyn was then back in the frame, and how he delivered. I think there’s still a spot for the veteran in an extended squad, maybe even for the 2023 World Cup. He’s the type of player who can fulfil the role that Percy Montgomery did in 2007 and Schalk Brits in 2019 – that of senior adviser/mentor/player.

Finally, what a disappointment that this country’s rugby fans will again miss out on live rugby and any URC action for the foreseeable future – Covid has made sure of that, and all we can do is hope things change for the better again soon.