Loss to Argentina wake-up call for Bok coach
In June‚ Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus cautioned against over-optimism after his side beat England 2-1 in a home series.
But even he couldn’t have imagined such a humbling dousing of his team’s progress two months later.
The Boks’ 32-19 loss to Argentina in Mendoza on Saturday exposed their many weaknesses‚ including South Africa’s inability to win away from home while offering no obvious positives.
Post the 2015 World Cup‚ the Boks have won just three of 15 away games and their next two fixtures are in Brisbane and Wellington against Australia and the all conquering New Zealand.
Slow starts in matches have characterised Erasmus’ Bok reign.
While his team was able to overturn heavy early deficits against England in the first and second Tests‚ and also against the Pumas in Durban last week‚ there was no way out of the 27-7 half-time hole they found themselves in Mendoza.
Australian referee Angus Gardner may have ignored the Pumas’ continual offsides infringements‚ and he may have been casual in his handling of the breakdown‚ but the Boks failed to adapt to the official and to Argentina’s ferocity.
It’s as if foreign fields are some sort of kryptonite for the Springboks.
“We had so many opportunities to score tries in the first 15-20 minutes‚’ Erasmus lamented.
“We just didn’t capitalise on that. “We played like a team that’s playing club rugby. I must point the finger at myself. When you play like this‚ the coach did something badly wrong during the week.”
At least‚ Erasmus had the grace not to try and “take positives” from the defeat as his predecessor Allister Coetzee did after the Boks lost 57-0 to the All Blacks last year.
But Erasmus is quickly finding out how different and how difficult coaching at the cutting edge can be.
He told all who wanted to listen in June that the Boks were learning and growing and would suffer setbacks along the way.
It felt then as if he was getting his excuses in early‚ and the performance in Mendoza bore them out.
The Boks’ defence was appalling as they missed 27 tackles‚ especially in the first half‚ while the lineout again malfunctioned and there was also a lack of intensity at the contact points.
Dropping Pieter-Steph du Toit after the 34-21 win in Durban‚ now looks like a poor selection decision because the Stormers man was immense when he joined the battle in the second half.
Replacement Franco Mostert lacked his usual aggression and failed to improve hooker Malcolm Marx’s throwing yips. Marx’s throwing is fast becoming an issue that might require a parliamentary investigation.
After a storming return to rugby in Durban‚ Eben Etzebeth was subdued and eighthman Warren Whiteley was virtually anonymous. The Boks also lost wing Makazole Mapimpi to a knee injury early in the match‚ forcing Lionel Mapoe to play wing – an unfamiliar position.
The Boks face Australia in Brisbane next and Erasmus has no more credit left in the bank. He has to shelve extreme experimentation and look to find his best team and stick to it for the rest of the Rugby Championship.