Not the performance Bok fans expected

SA fans will have been left bitterly disappointed by the tepid performance the Springboks dished up against the Welsh on Saturday. And, rightfully so. The Boks kept what was possibly their worst performance of the year for their final match of 2018, losing 20-11 to Wales at Principality Stadium. This after coach Rassie Erasmus had stressed it would be vital for his team to finish its tour with a solid victory. This would have given the squad a skip in its step ahead of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Instead, fans, players and administrators are now left wondering just where the Springboks are in the pecking order of world rugby. Just how good, or bad, are they?

The official rankings have SA at five, behind New Zealand, Ireland, Wales and England, in that order.

With a 50% win rate under Erasmus this year, the Boks did not give themselves much of a chance of improving on that ranking.

There were victories over New Zealand and England, and that has led experts to believe SA have turned the corner following the tenure of Allister Coetzee.

There were also none of those embarrassing losses by 30 points. In fact, most of the losses were tight affairs.

So the progress has been encouraging at times, but the problem is there were too many inconsistencies that hamstrung their cause along the way.

On Saturday evening, Erasmus’s troops looked flat after a long season. There were again basic handling errors, and ill-discipline and early defensive lapses allowed Wales to take a quick 14-point lead, something from which SA never recovered.

The bad news for SA and the rest of the world is that New Zealand bounced back from the defeat against Ireland with an angry 66-3 mauling of Italy.

Their coach, Steve Hansen, has warned his team have merely whet their appetite ahead of their tilt at a third straight World Cup title in Japan next year.

Erasmus had better enjoy his time off during the festive season as next year there will not be much room for cheer if the status quo remains.