Brawn is no longer enough for the Boks

large degree, negated. Two good tries in the end put a bit of gloss on the defeat but, let’s be honest, we were well beaten.

We don’t take losing well, as a rule, in South Africa but just maybe it’s a good thing. The reason is that for the next decade many of these players will come up against each other time and time again because, in the narrow world of international rugby, there are actually not too many top cap contenders.

Given luck with injury it is conceivable that the bulk of the teams we have seen competing with each other in the last three Junior World Cups will be doing so in the senior versions to come. To prove the point, look at the last time New Zealand and England met in a junior final.

It was in 2011 and the Baby Blacks won 33-22. In their side that day were Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Beauden Barrett, TJ Peranara and Charles Piutau. The Poms had George Ford, Owen Farrell and Joe Launchbury in their ranks.

In the last two years we have had sides with enough potential to win easily but we are trophyless. So do we keep doing the same or do we change? Surely the definition of stupidity is when you keep doing the same thing while expecting a different outcome. Food for thought? I think so.

This is backed up by the performances we have seen by South African sides in the Super 15. Yes, the Lions have been bold and beautiful but a play-off place was always a bridge too far. The Stormers have at times been effective and, indeed, attractive but, let’s be honest, with the rest of our sides being very poor, unimaginative and unsuccessful, it has to be judged a poor season and an unhealthy state of affairs. Do we really believe the Cape side can win? Exactly.

One of the problems is that the other countries are now producing players who are as physical as we are. No longer can we expect to turn up and see the opposition quake with fear at the very sight of the green and gold.

In the Junior game with England our pack, even by SA standards, was grizzly but the Poms took it in their stride. This trend will continue as professional conditioning and training, especially defence, evolve. So, in years to come the biggest traditional advantage of South Africa, physical- ity, to use the modern term, will diminish. So that leaves skill.

What are we doing to encourage that? I must say the off-load that was made by our centre in the semi-final, out of the back of the hand, for that last try was a pleasing moment but such were few and far between.

Just look at the New Zealand sides at all levels. They play to attack and they do so at pace. They have runners but more than that they have ball players. The trend started by Sonny Bill Williams and carried on by Aaron Cruden has now been embraced by almost all players.