The Springboks celebrate after beating Argentina to secure the Rugby Championship title at Mbombela Stadium in September. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
Former Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn believes the Boks will clinch a 3-0 clean sweep of wins on their end-of-year tour to the UK, which gets under way next week.
The Boks open their tour against Scotland in Edinburgh next weekend, before taking on England at Twickenham in London and finish things off against Wales in Cardiff.
It has been a fantastic year for the Boks so far, winning eight out of their 10 games this season, and that could easily have been a full house of wins if they hadn’t suffered tight one-point defeats against Ireland in Durban and Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
They also picked up a dominant Rugby Championship title, achieving doubles over Australia Down Under and the All Blacks in South Africa, while they closed out the championship with a thumping 48-7 win over Argentina in Mbombela.
They thus head into the end-of-year internationals with plenty of confidence and momentum and they will fancy a clean sweep, which Steyn believes is entirely possible if they play to the best of their ability.
“I can’t see another team beating the Springboks at this stage, especially with the number of top players that we have and the quality group that we have selected for the end-of-year tour. I can’t see any of those sides beating us,” said Steyn.
“You never know when you are there though. The weather plays a big role, and maybe injuries will play a part. But I think they will be ready for it.
“The Springboks have had a great year, and over the last three or four years have been playing some awesome rugby. So I am looking forward to seeing some more good rugby from them.
“They will be eager to get a win on the board (against Scotland). If they can get three out of three it will be awesome, and I am looking forward to them making it a clean sweep for us.”
The Boks last faced Scotland and England during the Rugby World Cup last year, claiming a comfortable 18-3 win over the Scots in the pool stage, and while England gave them a fright in the semifinal, they emerged as 16-15 winners.
They faced Wales outside of the international window at Twickenham in June this year, with both teams naming understrength sides, and the Boks cruised to an easy 41-13 win.
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