Former Springboks Captain John Smit says the current team has shown tremendous progress following two years of poor results. It is that reason he thinks there is self-belief building up amongst players which he hopes will grow significantly over the next 18 months.
The results of their last four matches revived the little hope South Africans had in the team following two years of poor performances. What has also stood out in those fixtures was the unity amongst players.
Although the upcoming Rugby Championship will serve as preparations for the World Cup, the union arising from the common goal amongst the players, could be the catalyst for team that can rise above the rest at the World Cup.
“There is a tighter bond within that unit at the moment and that is probably the thing that stood out for me. There seems to be a ‘connectedness’ between our players and true caring for wanting to do better for South Africa,” says Smit.
The Boks’ next assignment is the Rugby Championship to start in August. It will probably be the real measure of how far Rassie Erasmus has come with his team.
“In June, we were playing against one team. So, you have a lot of time to prepare whereas now you have Australia, New Zealand and Argentina that bring a different ball game. There is going to be a lot of ball in play; a lot more attacking rugby instead of generic big kicking games,” says Springboks fullback Jesse Kriel.
An issue that will rise prior to the Championship is that of the captaincy role, with Warren Whitely likely to be back in the team following an absence due to injury.
Siya Kolisi captained the team in the June series against England.
“Why do you need to change something that does not need to be changed. The one thing that I really thought he did well was the fact that he relied on his senior players, those three tests to help him carry the burden,” says Former Springbok Loose Prop Os Du Randt.
Meanwhile, the Boks will have a resident fan in the team for the next 18 months. Mark Nanncarow was the winner of the Bozza competition that will see him travel with the team from the start of the Rugby Championship until the end of 2019, sharing everything they do on social media.
