Rantings From The Weekend: Rugby

South African Rugby Fans Can Never Be Pleased

You can never fully please a South African rugby fan, can you? While a lot of us were satisfied with a remarkable draw against the greatest team on earth, trust some among us to find fault with the tie against the mighty All Blacks. The Boks were not favourites to win last Saturday, but were at least expected to make a fist of proceedings, which they duly did. In fact, they should have won were it not for a lack of composure. However, fans who cynically accuse us of “celebrating” a draw are being highly disingenuous! Not long ago, the All Blacks were pasting their archenemy by an average of 50 points a match, but now clashes against the Boks are being decided by two or less points! Furthermore, the draw put South Africa in pole position to win the truncated 2019 Rugby Championship. Imagine if they had lost!

The Springboks Are Blessed With Depth

Who in their right mind – ahead of the 2018 international rugby season - would have believed you if you had told them that Rassie Erasmus would mould a squad boasting two world class players per position? I certainly had my doubts about him turning the rubble Allister Coetzee left behind into potential world-beaters. Eight weeks out from the Rugby World Cup in Japan, a well-coached Springbok side has co-favourites New Zealand, Ireland, England and Wales warily acknowledging them as the dark horses of the tournament. This is because Erasmus had a clear plan, and as the wearer of another cap as Director Of Rugby at SARU, knew that the only way this plan could be executed was being given unrestricted access to the best players the country had to offer. A majority of these top players are overseas, and Bok management would have been hopeless without this superior pool to choose from.

Brodie Retallick Defines The All Black Team

When Brodie Retallick was carted off the pitch because of a dislocated shoulder caused by a robust RG Snyman clean late in the piece on Saturday, you almost heard the collective sphincter of New Zealand clench with nervous tension. The best player in the game since 2013, Retallick is the lynchpin of the All Blacks. If you don’t believe me, go and look at the team’s win-loss ratio when he misses a Test. It’s simply staggering! He has become so important to their ambitions that he will be selected for the World Cup, allowed to recover throughout the tournament, and then certainly start if he is ready for any of the knockout matches. A class apart.

Los Pumas Are Overrated

Don’t get me wrong: Argentina is not a team to be sneezed at by any stretch of the imagination. After an impressively ominous performance by the Jaguares (Argentina-lite) in Super Rugby, we led ourselves to believe that the chemistry they had formed all season would make Los Pumas formidable once they infused their European-based stars into the squad. However, they have flattered to deceive, bombing the best opportunity they have ever gotten to finally break their duck against the All Blacks, before imploding against an underwhelming Australia in what was a very poor advert for the Rugby Championship in Brisbane. Perhaps this was a much-needed reality check, reminding the Argentinians that a match against the Waratahs, Stormers or Hurricanes is nothing in comparison to the collective might of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa’s best players. Now if they are so kind, can they please rest their best players for when the Boks roll into town on the 10^th of August…

Cheetahs Are Currie Cup Favourites

It appears that the shortened Currie Cup season will work out favorably for the Free State Cheetahs. They have had to farcically split forces between the Currie Cup and the Pro14 in recent years, but now that they can go all guns blazing at the famous trophy, they are the team to beat. Upsetting our SuperBru picks with a surprisingly comfortable win over the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, they went onto smash Griquas in Bloemfontein, a team I think highly of. Franco Smith’s boys definitely look like they have learnt a lot from the high quality Pro14 competition, and are clearly better than their Currie Cup counterparts in just about every facet of play. I’m looking forward to their clash against the Golden Lions this weekend, who themselves impressed with a seismic win away against Western Province. Another bonus point win for the Cheetahs will surely seal a home semifinal, and I will not bet against this happening.

The Cape Town 7s Is The Hottest Ticket In South African Sport

After five consecutive years of committing the same rookie error, I finally managed to snag a ticket to the Cape Town 7s! Glory, glory hallelujah! There I was, camped on Computicket’s website watching the clock ruthlessly count down to the opening of general ticket sales. I had never done this before, which made all the difference in the world, because I managed to book a ticket for Saturday the 13^th’s action in mid-December. To absolutely no one’s shock and horror, when I tried to get another for the Sunday, I had to get back in a very long digital line. At the time of writing, I believe the event had been sold out. Well done, Capetonians! You add to what is a great and unmissable spectacle. See you there!