Boks starting to find their feet

National rugby coach Rassie Erasmus wasn’t exaggerating when he said “had the Springboks taken their chances, they would have given the Wallabies a hiding” in their Rugby Championship match in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. They should have. In the end, they failed to take their chances but were still too good for Australia, running out 23-12 victors. It was their second victory in a row, following their surprising, hard-fought win over New Zealand in Wellington last month.

In reality, the Springboks should have beaten the Wallabies by a greater score. This is by no means the best Australian Test team and the Boks never really looked like losing the Test, even though there were a few stutters in the first half after conceding two tries in quick succession.

This year’s Rugby Championship is one that will be looked on by Erasmus and company with some regret.

By no means has it been a disaster, but had they produced a better performance against Argentina in Mendoza, and beaten Australia in Brisbane, then this weekend’s final clash against the All Blacks at Loftus could have been a championship decider.

But it was not to be and the All Blacks wrapped up the title – their third consecutive Rugby Championship, and a sixth in seven years – with a win over the Pumas in Buenos Aires on Saturday evening.

The Boks’ win over Australia was scrappy and they’ll have to raise their game considerably if they are to record rare back-to-back wins over New Zealand when they face the world champions on Saturday. A solid performance against the All Blacks will also go a long way in showing the Boks have turned the corner, just one year out from the World Cup in Japan.

Despite the mistakes on Saturday, the Boks are starting to find their feet. Even though their midfield is still a concern and their back-up at No 8 thin, Erasmus’ combinations are starting to work.

Bring on the All Blacks.