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In the build-up to the Springboks and the All Blacks’ seismic Pool B World Cup opener in Yokohama last week, the meaning of the result for the victors and the losers was discussed at length.
When the dust had settled, the general consensus was that the difference between winning and losing wasn’t adding up Tony D’Amato’s inches; rather, it was the high road or the low road to emerging World Cup winners.
Happily for the All Blacks, who are in search of their fourth title and are looking to make history by going one up on having made an unprecedented defence by winning a third World Cup in succession, the high road of winning all seven matches – like every other winner has done before – is theirs to take.
And should the Springboks somehow snake their way back to Yokohama, where the final will be held on November 2, they will have taken England and France’s example of making it to the decider despite losing a group game.
Given that England have twice had a tilt at this windmill (in 1991 and 2007), and France were just being typically contrary, the smart money should be on the Boks accepting – a bit like that New Zealand report that gave them a 3% chance of winning the World Cup – that they should now look to 2023 to add a third Webb Ellis Cup to their cabinet.
Few international teams thrive on the underdog status more than the Springboks do.
They may be big, powerful and come with pedigree, but there’s something positively mongrel about how the Boks struggle with being considered favourites.
It’s a South African team thing – they do their best work with their collective light hidden under a bushel; and their finest work seems to be done to prove people wrong, as opposed to proving themselves right.
Living up to the expectations they’ve created leaves them in a cold sweat and, to an extent, that’s what happened with the Boks against the All Blacks in their tournament opener.
Rassie Erasmus’ men went into that game as the more settled team, having chosen their first unchanged side since the 2015 World Cup and from a completely healthy team, a situation that even gave them time to engage in referee gamesmanship.
Yet when it came to it, it was the team that was expected to win that failed to execute and lost its way after a great start.
Erasmus’ arrival 18 months ago has steadily turned the Boks into a meticulous outfit, but the one thing he seems not to have entirely changed is their mentality.
There were signs of it in the defeats against the Wallabies in Brisbane last year and to England at Twickenham in November, the Boks having beaten the Poms 2-1 at home when they weren’t given a chance to upset Eddie Jones’ juggernaut.
A great sign of what I mean is how the Boks went from beating England 36-0 in the group stages of the 2007 World Cup and only squeaking home 15-6 in the final.
Yes, it was a final and, yes, England had gathered a fair bit of confidence on the back route to making it to that point, but the Springbok attitude going into that game wasn’t exactly “we blanked these guys just the other day”.
Yet, because losing to the All Blacks has led to the Boks being written off, Erasmus’ men are probably the most dangerous team doing the rounds in the tournament.
Put it this way: Japan and Ireland would have to have some nutters in their teams if they look forward to playing the Boks in the quarterfinal, which appears likely to be the case now.
The Boks’ uncomfortable relationship with being favourites needs to be fixed as it borders on a losing mentality.
But because they are now back in their comfort zone, they’ve got the world just where they want it.
. Follow me on Twitter @simxabanisa
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