Springboks in Latin America for the crown?
In a rugby world cup year, the Rugby Championship can legitimately sound less meaningful than usual. This can be true for the All Blacks, who win it practically all the time (sixteen titles since 1996). But not for the Springboks, or Boks as they are popularly known!
Indeed, South Africa has not been so close to a final victory in the Rugby Championship for a while. The Springboks, whose last trophy dates back to 2009, must feel satisfied and frustrated at the same time: they have the real opportunity to stop New Zealand’s hegemony in the competition, but if so, this will be done a few weeks before the World Cup in Japan, and thus bound to be forgotten as soon as it happens.
Maybe I am too cynical though, but who could give credit to a competition planned before such an international tournament like a world cup, a competition more considered as a preparation session for Japan than a full Rugby Championship?
This being said, we must admit that no matter the importance of the 2019 edition, the Springboks are doing well. For the sake of the first game, Boks defeated Australia 35-17 at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. Last week, they did even better with a draw 16-16 in Wellington against the Blacks.
Currently counting seven points before New Zealand (six) and Australia (four), the country of Aloe Vera can seriously think of a trophy after ten years of scarcity. To do so, South Africa will have to win in Argentina for the ultimate game on August 11th.
If they make it, Johan Erasmus’s players will kill two birds with one stone: first, they will grab an international title (in a couple of years, no one will remember that the 2019 Rugby Championship was reduced to six games) and second, they will store a lot of confidence in prevision of their Japanese tour. So win it guys!
By Guillaume Mahot
