South Africans are the masters of taking offence

There are a few things that the South African rugby ecosystem does better than any of their competitors.

No other union can match their conveyor belt of elite-level front rowers, their endless supply of versatile lock/flank hybrids or their array of diminutive, jet-heeled, scrum cap-wearing wingers who can side-step a Formula 1 car.

But the most destructive weapon in Rassie Erasmus’ arsenal is something more abstract. More valuable than Cheslin Kolbe’s fast-twitch muscle fibres, Pieter-Steph du Toit’s chest or Ox Nche’s shoulders is South Africa’s unending and unwavering ability to take offence.

This is not meant as a dig - please don’t get offended - and should genuinely be considered a superpower of the Boks. Because no matter what is said about the team, no matter who says it, if the comment is anything other than overwhelmingly positive, free from caveats and devoid of double entendre, then you can be sure that Erasmus and his coaching staff will be printing out those disparaging words and sticking them up on the dressing room wall.

Not convinced? How else can you explain the hype that has been generated in anticipation of the first Test against Ireland this weekend? A promotional video released by the Springboks on official social media channels was titled ‘Unfinished business’ and included several quotes by podcasters, writers and players branding Ireland the best team in the world.

In the two minute clip, Ger Gilroy labels the Boks a bunch of “whining babies”. There’s a shot of Erasmus seething as Irish fans sing The Cranberries’ Zombie after his team’s loss in the World Cup last year. There’s even the suggestion that New Zealand, the Springboks’ great traditional rivals, are no longer considered the biggest scalp in the game.

This is all just grist to the mill. Then, as if those cocky Irish hadn’t gone far enough, as reported by the Munster fan account Three Red Kings, Ireland’s coach Andy Farrell downplayed the beauty of Table Mountain and Caelan Doris deliberately mispronounced the word ‘braai’. Serious lines have now been crossed.

Willie Le Roux has ensured a respectful handover of the Springboks' No 15 jersey to Damian Willemse (Photo by Michael Steele - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

In reality, these last two sleights were made up. But does it matter? Perception is often more important than reality and if the Springboks and their passionate supporters feel disrespected, if there is a groundswell of opinion that their two World Cup wins, their British and Irish Lions series victory and their world number one ranking are not adequately recognised by the haters, then that feeds fuel to the furnace.

This week Eben Etzebeth picked at the wounds left by Ireland’s players after the Springboks’ loss in France in September. Apparently a handful in emerald green disrespected Etzebeth, the Boks and the All Blacks for good measure after their 13-8 win. Now whether or not words to the effect of “see you in the final” were actually uttered is not important. What matters is that South Africa’s totemic lock, a giant who probably bakes his bread with ground up bones, believes that this narrative is true. And in doing so he has found that extra bit of motivation to compel him to greater heights.

Damian de Allende, perhaps unaware that Gaza is a ruin, that eastern Ukraine is under Russian occupation and that much of Sudan is a wasteland, recently said that the first Test in Pretoria would be “like a war”. Putting aside the glib metaphor, it does speak to a particular strand of a shared South African mindset.

Erasmus has already declared the Springboks as the only thing that works in the country. And though he’s not correct, he’s not entirely wrong in that the Springboks are at least the most successful cultural export South Africa has ever produced. Winning on the world stage assuages, at least in the minds of their supporters, failings back home. And so, if someone doesn’t like the way Erasmus conducts himself on social media, or thinks that a seven-one bench split is against the spirit of rugby, or accuses South Africans of demonstrating entitlement in the URC or European competitions, it is hard not to interpret these barbs as attacks on the nation as a whole.

To reiterate an earlier point, this is a superpower, not a weakness. It is their ability to turn every inch of grass on the field, every point of contact, into a personal struggle. It’s why Erasmus and his coaches compare the line on defence to a player’s own front door, that a ball carrier is not merely an opponent seeking an opening on the field but is akin to a violent home intruder. This tethering of the side to the nation as a whole, with all its challenges and hangups, has been organically brewed but also deliberately orchestrated. It is part of Erasmus’ genius and helps explain why his team wins so many tight and important games.

Of course there’s every chance that this is all guff. That Erasmus and his team are acting the part, fully aware of the joke and are simply playing to the gallery. After all, Erasmus is an executive producer on the hugely popular Chasing the Sun documentary series. He knows a good yarn when he sees one and hyping up this series against Ireland not only stokes passions but also puts bums on seats. A frothing frenzy is good for business.

But I believe there’s an element of honesty in all this. I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit to feeling the sting of a critical line from an English, Australian or Irish journalist in the past. When the Telegraph called the Boks the “most morally compromised team at the World Cup,” I took offence. It made me - once I’d filed my copy and taken off my journalist hat - want to thump my chest and tweet something to the effect of “cry more”.

Boks supporters, and I believe the Boks themselves, want to be loved and respected but they’re just as content being the bad guys of world rugby. Say what you want about them. The meaner the better. All it does is feed the content machine and drive their standards even higher.