Watching the two games played outside of the international window to start off the northern hemisphere autumn series of internationals was probably the perfect way for the Springboks to end their preparation camp in Jersey as it provided a perfect scene setter for what comes next.
Scotland’s big win over Fiji was not so much an ominous warning to the Boks, which no doubt is how some in the United Kingdom will see it, as just a reminder that they are up against a team that will take its opportunity, particularly in front of the passionate home Murrayfield support, if it is presented to them.
When it comes to the less immediate but nonetheless important challenge posed by England in what is undeniably the big game of the tour, the Boks should have seen a potential threat but also opportunity, particularly in the way that the All Blacks destroyed the England scrum once the changes were made.
And then there’s also the not insignificant point that their two point defeat to the New Zealanders was their umpteenth in a long line of narrow defeats to big teams. That though introduces the other angle to the Twickenham (Allianz Stadium) game, which is that it should have ratcheted up the England motivation for the Bok game a good few levels.
ENGLAND WILL NOW BE EVEN MORE DESPERATE
England and the England media are desperate for them to claim a big southern hemisphere scalp and only a win against one of the big teams from the south will be enough in many eyes to confirm the growth that England have shown since Steve Borthwick took over as coach.
Australia, who England play this coming weekend, are of course a southern hemisphere nation. They used to be considered part of a big three. But after failing to reach the knock-outs of last year’s World Cup and their last placed finish in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, the Wallabies are no longer a big team. England should be expected to beat them, so their success of their entire autumn effort depends now on them beating the Boks.
The Boks experienced how tough it can be against an intensely motivated England team in the semifinal of the World Cup, where the South Africans had to do what New Zealand did this last weekend - they had to overcome a deficit of more than a score deep into the third quarter to win it.
Letting a game they appear to have in hand slip in the final minutes has become an England trend since then and while Borthwick will deny it, that must be becoming a psychological issue for his team. The only way to stop that narrative from developing further is to beat the Boks. So Siya Kolisi and his team can expect the kitchen sink to be thrown at them on 16 November.
The Scotland game should have confirmed to the Boks that while they should be favourites to win in Edinburgh next Sunday, they can’t afford to have an off day. Which is something the Boks who play for local Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises will have known already.
The Vodacom Bulls, who provide a healthy portion of players to the national squad these days, haven’t played them this season, but they will remember what Glasgow Warriors did to them in last year’s URC final.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks beat Glasgow in their recent clash in Durban, but for long periods of that game Glasgow gave as good as they got. And the DHL Stormers of course lost by more than a score to both Glasgow and Edinburgh in home and away games respectively.
So those players won’t have watched Scotland outplaying Fiji in their Murrayfield game at the weekend and been surprised at what worked for the Scots. Give them a bit of space and the outside backs are extremely dangerous, while the Glasgow progress from also-rans was built around a good offload game and of course they have the best maul in the URC.
Sione Tuipoluto, playing for the first time as Scotland captain, isn’t a player that the South Africans aren’t aware of, and his impact on the Fiji game, together with fellow Glasgow centre Huw Jones, won’t have been a revelation.
ABSENCE OF RUSSELL LEAVES HOLE IN BOK ANALYSIS
What will have kept the Boks guessing though is the absence from the Scotland team of Finn Russell and to a lesser extent Blair Kinghorn. There was a third player missing because of the game falling outside of the international window, Toulon based scrumhalf Ben White, but it is Russell who will have the most influence on the Scotland game play if he wears the No 10 jersey against the Boks.
Ever since he changed the flow of the game when he came on as a replacement in the deciding test of the 2021 series against the British and Irish Lions, Russell has been considered a bit of an enigma and a proper threat by the Boks. They will feel that without him playing against Fiji, their chance of doing a full analysis of Scotland through their performance in that game was dented.
And the fact that the Scots, apart from a period in the second part of the first half, were so dominant without Russell, who plays for England club Bath, at flyhalf and the influence that Kinghorn, currently playing for Toulouse, can exert from fullback, will have been noted.
It is true that the Scots face a very different challenge against the Boks to the one they faced against Fiji. The Pacific Island team was without several star players due to the game being played outside of the international window. It meant that several European based players weren’t available. And while there was some kind of continuity for Fiji in the sense they relied on their Super Rugby side to front the Scots, and they’ve played a lot of rugby together, they haven’t done so since early June.
The Scottish win was expected. What was impressive though was the confidence with which they played, and that is what should make the Boks aware that they can’t afford to be too far away from the A-game at Murrayfield. Let the Scots get their tails up and it could be a tough 80 minutes for the world champions.
The fact that there is just a six day turnaround between Sunday in Edinburgh and Saturday in London was probably one of the reasons coach Rassie Erasmus felt the Jersey camp was necessary. And knowing him and his level of organisation, the seven days before the Scotland game also feature planning and preparation for the challenge that follows.
A six day turnaround shouldn’t scare the Boks. They had a six day turnaround between their narrow win over Wales in the 2019 World Cup semifinal and their thrashing of England in the Yokohama decider.
Weekend international results
England 22 New Zealand 24
Scotland 57 Fiji 17