The missing piece in the Springboks puzzle

Ireland’s win over the Springboks means we’re no closer to declaring with any certainty which of the two teams is the best in the world. But the drawn series does answer a question that has nagged South African sports fans for some time.

Why do the Springboks seem to play worse when they’re labelled as favourites? To ask the same question another way: Why do the Springboks play better when their backs are against the wall and expectations are low?

Nelson Mandela once said: "It always seems impossible until it’s done”. This quintessentially South African quote should be printed on every banknote as it captures an attitude that cuts across race and culture.

Tell a South African that they can’t do something and the general response will be one of defiance. “Oh, you think so, well I’m going to prove you wrong”. Vincent Koch, a double World Cup winner with a Lions series medal, two European Cups and a host of domestic gongs locked away in the safe, told me that he was more motivated by the avoidance of defeat rather than the pursuit of victory.

The middleweight champion of the UFC, Dricus du Plessis, coined the Afrikaans phrase: “Hulle weet nie was ons weet nie,” which means, “They don’t know what we know”. That line has been emblazoned on t-shirts, on billboards and was stretched across the highest stand at Loftus Versfeld for the opening Test against Ireland. The message is clear: If you’re not from South Africa, if you weren’t raised with your toes in its red soil, if you didn’t fuel yourself on red meat straight from the flames, then you’ll never understand what motivates South Africans to raise their game, to defy the odds, to feed the self-perpetuating mythology that is now intrinsically linked with the Springboks.

More than that, you also can’t tell a South African what to do. We’re a stubborn people, set in our ways and not defined by the mores of others. Often this can backfire, where we cut our noses off to spite our face, or grow complacent when the task appears simple. Perhaps this is why the traffic lights don't work and no dinner date ever starts on time.

Does this mean that we can draw a clear thread connecting an apparent national trait and the exploits of a nation’s sports teams? Of course it’s not as simple as all that, but the Springboks have provided a sizable sample to support this theory.

Let’s begin with last year’s World Cup, surely the greatest run to the title made by any team after three back-to-back one-point wins in the knockouts. That first victory, over France, was procured in a cauldron of noise and a sea of enmity.

But then in the semi-final, against an England outfit that had hobbled their way to the last four, the Boks looked spooked. Bereft of ideas and getting beaten at their own game, they only clicked into gear once their dream started to slip from their fingers.

And then in the final, after a barnstorming opening half and the red card of Sam Cane, they faded away. Sure the All Blacks rallied and Richie Mo’unga put on a masterclass, but it is an indictment on the men in green that they couldn’t land a blow against 14 men. Although maybe it was the expectation of a New Zealand comeback that compelled those men in green to make tackle after tackle after tackle and hold on for a famous win.

Dejected South Africa players Faf de Klerk and Malcolm Marx leave the pitch after the second test between South Africa and Ireland at Kings Park in Durban, South Africa. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Not convinced? Here are a few other examples where the Springboks kicked off with high hopes but fell short: 15 July 2023, a 35-20 loss in Auckland was marked by a shocking opening period in which the All Blacks caught the Boks cold by racing to a 17-0 lead; 27 August 2022, a 25-17 loss to Australia in Adelaide a week after the Wallabies were hammered by Argentina; 13 August 2022, a 35-23 loss to New Zealand in Johannesburg a week after a comfortable win over the same opposition in Mbombela; 24 July 2021, a 17-22 defeat to the British & Irish Lions after so much hype and expectation that the world champions, despite their enforced hiatus from the covid pandemic, would steamroll a below par touring side.

That loss against the best of the Home Nations in an empty Cape Town Stadium prompted Rassie Erasmus to record an hour-long diatribe against the match officials. He insinuated that Siya Kolisi had been disrespected because of the colour of his skin. The entire South African rugby public adopted a siege mentality and the players responded, recognising that one more poor result would see them lose the series. There was only going to be one winner after all that frenzy. As I wrote two weeks ago, the Springboks are the masters at taking offence. Putting them in a corner and telling them they’re bringing the game into disrepute only makes them stronger. Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie. You think we can’t do something? Just wait and see.

Dennis Brutus, a journalist and anti-apartheid activist best known for his campaign to get South Africa banned from the Olympic Games, published a poem in 1963 titled ‘Somehow We Survive’. This, for me, encapsulates the spirit of Mzanzi. Despite all the troubles and challenges, the pot-holes and blackouts, the crime and the unrest, society functions. Of course it could be better. Who wouldn’t want a national rail system or a cleaner energy plan or a fly-half that can both kick poles and ignite a backline? But we take what we can get.

What does this mean for the number-one ranked team moving forward? They’ll soon embark on a Rugby Championship campaign that is there for the taking. The Wallabies are a shadow of their former selves, Argentina’s Pumas barely play together and the All Blacks are still a work in progress. This Springboks side is stacked with gnarled veterans and exciting youngsters. They should be winning this competition. Then again, that could be the reason why they won't.