MARK KEOHANE applauds the stylistic and squad development of the world champion Springboks in 2024, while still maintaining their impressive winning ways.
South Africa beat the All Blacks for a second consecutive time in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, edging their fierce rivals 18-12 after trailing 9-3 at half time at Cape Town Stadium.
It was also the Boks’ fourth win in a row over the Kiwis, the first time they achieved this in the professional era, and as a result, won back the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane emphasises that Rassie Erasmus prioritised squad development during the Rugby Championship, aiming to build a World Cup-ready squad of 50 players.
Despite this focus on growth, Erasmus has consistently delivered victories, most notably securing back-to-back wins against the Wallabies in Australia – an unprecedented achievement in the professional era.
Keohane notes Erasmus’ adeptness at managing player development, particularly praising rookies like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Elrigh Louw, and Aphelele Fassi, who thrived in key roles during the Championship.
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Veterans like Handre Pollard and Willie le Roux balanced mentorship with match performance, while Pieter-Steph du Toit’s versatility and dominance further strengthened the squad.
The Boks’ thrilling win against the All Blacks at Ellis Park underlined Erasmus’ success in squad rotation, with the team poised to claim their fifth Rugby Championship title.
“Rassie Erasmus has evolved and advanced his 2023 Rugby World Cup winners in the Rugby Championship, both in playing style and in squad depth,” Keohane writes. “And his biggest victory is that he has continued to win while doing it all.
“Erasmus has been consistent in his narrative that he has to build a squad of 50 players capable of playing in a World Cup play-off match.
“Currently, he would be comfortable that he is closer to 40 than 50, which is 10 to 15 players more than most rugby-playing national squads.”
Keohane also attributes the Boks’ growing popularity to Erasmus, Kolisi, and the team’s Rainbow Nation spirit, as evidenced by sold-out matches home and abroad.
“Kwagga Smith and [Siya] Kolisi had the presence of Marvel’s Super Heroes and every Test featuring the Springboks, in South Africa, and against the Wallabies in Australia, sold out, which was the greatest compliment to Erasmus, Kolisi and their popular Rainbow Warriors,” he writes.
The post Rassie’s ‘Rainbow Warriors’ keep evolving appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
