RWC19: Five key points that made the Boks a winning combination

There were heroes aplenty in the Springboks’ third win in a World Cup final last year in Japan, but it was the collective effort that stood out the most. And, Rassie Erasmus’ master-plan and smart selections ensured the Boks had an edge on the other teams.

Here then are the five key pointers that separated the Boks from the other contenders.

The “Rassie Erasmus factor” was undeniable

Picking up a team that was “lost” and on a road to nowhere, Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus identified certain key players who felt could win the tournament. These players, in his own words, were not necessarily the most talented or gifted, or the best, but players who he could go to war with – the so-called “warriors”.

Erasmus, when he took charge at the beginning of 2018, said his primary goal was to win the World Cup. He backed his players, targeted certain games – the Boks’ shock win of 36-34 over the mighty All Blacks in Wellington being one of them – and believed anything was possible.

Naming Siya Kolisi as captain

Erasmus said he never imagined the reaction after he appointed Siya Kolisi as the first black captain of the Boks. Some called it a “masterstroke” to win over all the people of South Africa, while others felt it was merely a transformation move.

Erasmus though embraced the transformation issue from the start and put it at the forefront of his tenure as coach and said he never thought of Kolisi, or any other black player, as a transformation player. He pointed to the fact he gave Kolisi his first professional contract as a rugby player in Cape Town when Erasmus was still in charge of the Stormers.

Under Kolisi, the Boks were a unified, tight-knit group that played for, and represented, all of South Africa.

Establishing the “Bomb Squad”

Although it was a not a new idea in world rugby to name six forwards and only two backs on the bench, Erasmus gave serious thought to the idea after the Boks’ opening round loss to New Zealand.

It was then that he decided to start with props Beast Mtawarira and Frans Malherbe and locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager. Later Bongi Mbonambi would become a starter, too, with Erasmus opting to pick a complete tight-five on his bench, plus one loose-forward.

The plan was to hit the opposition with a fresh and equally potent tight-five just after half-time; a move that worked wonders and gave the Boks a huge advantage in the play-off games. Imaging facing a Bok tight-five named above and then being hit with the introduction of Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch as the props, Malcolm Marx as the hooker and Franco Mostert and the menacing bulldozer RG Snyman as the locks in the latter stages of a match.

The physical figure of “general” Handre Pollard at flyhalf

Erasmus knew years ago who his flyhalf would be in the World Cup and Pollard came good in his biggest moment.

The high pressure kick that Pollard nailed in the narrow 19-16 win over Wales in the semi-final underlined the steely resolve of Pollard, something that would emerge in the final as well, after he missed his first kick at goal.

Pollard stepped up and kicked 22 points in the final and finished the tournament as the leading points scorer.

His vision on attack, strong distribution skills and solid defence made Pollard a key man, and how he delivered.

The finishing touches of Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe

Erasmus hailed Mapimpi one of the most improved players after initially struggling under the high ball, while the selection of Kolbe proved a master-stroke after fears that the deadly finisher was too small for Test rugby and would be a liability in defence.

Both men scored sensational tries at the showpiece in Japan and emerged not only as South African heroes, but world stars after the tournament. Neither man put a foot wrong; they were deadly on attack and immovable in defence; two players who have crept into the hearts of their team-mates and all South Africans.

ALSO READ: RWC19: Why Erasmus was always SA Rugby’s first-choice man for the Boks

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