In spite of Rassie’s antics Boks end year on a high note

THE Springboks have brought down the curtain on their 2022 season and they could not have done it in a more heartening fashion.

Siya Kolisi’s men emphatically beat their arch-rivals England at the home of rugby, Twickenham, in a match that was a reprisal of the 2019 World Cup final, and the convincing victory has not only silenced their detractors but also made a strong statement to the rugby world that the Webb Ellis Cup will not be prised out of its South African grip without one heck of a fight.

It has been a topsy-turvy year for the Springboks – they won eight of their 13 matches and lost five – but it is off the field where they have attracted too much attention, mostly because of director of rugby Rassie Erasmus’s feud with World Rugby over his continued outbursts against rugby’s match officials.

But on this front, too, there has been a positive development. On Friday, SA Rugby announced that Erasmus had entered into talks with World Rugby to find a solution to his perpetual issues with referees and his choice of platform (social media) to air his grievances.

World Rugby had banned Erasmus from watching the Boks at Twickenham, and also the week before in Genoa, so to hear that the two parties are sitting down and talking is a relief for Springbok supporters because the maverick but highly intelligent Erasmus is vital to the Boks’ ambitions of defending the World Cup in France next year.

So, on and off the field the year ends on a very good note for the Boks.

Also, it was a season in which the coaching staff experimented with new talent to grow depth ahead of the World Cup and that process has unearthed some gems, notably the deadly wing Kurt-lee Arendse, who made his debut in July and finished the year with a magnificent try against England.

Overall, the Springboks are in good shape and we wish them a good rest before next year’s all-important World Cup year.