South Africa take a handy 2-1 lead into the final test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry as both teams jetted off to Baltimore in the United States in the early hours of Sunday morning on a shared charter, but the final clash of this epic series could tell us more about the future than anything we have seen in the past month.
The Bok power game was too much for the All Blacks in the end, with the driving maul and scrum providing key points of difference between the two sides for which the All Blacks ultimately paid the price.
But there is enough in their game, coming back at the end despite being well-beaten in tests two and three that Dave Rennie will take into next year’s Rugby World Cup with a bit of confidence.
First of all, the Boks did what they needed to. After stuttering and falling apart in the last 20 minutes of the Ellis Park test, they clawed their way back and showed their impressive strength through the second and third test where they were bigger winners than the scoreline suggests.
BOKS WERE IN A FIGHT
Even so, the Bok know they were in a fight in this series, and the exceptional play witnessed across the 240 minutes of rugby across the country was superb to see, and certainly is enough evidence that tours like this should not only exist, but become part of rugby’s lexicon.
How you do that in a sport that refuses to embrace a global season is a real question that needs answering, but the Boks know they have been tested, and will be better off because of it.
Coach Rassie Erasmus has proved once again, that when the Bok backs were against the wall, the fighting spirit and determination of the team he coaches comes to the fore and they will be hard to beat.
Saturday the All Blacks still scored four tries though, bringing to 13 the number of tries they scored in three games against the Boks and this is a cause for concern. The Bok management will know this, and will know they have things to work on, but rather find them now - a year before the World Cup arrives - than when it is too late.
Rassie quipped during the press conference after the game that Jerry Flannery, the Irish defence coach, wouldn’t be happy with that stat, but neither will the team and they know that while it may be difficult to fix things short-term, they have some work to do before the World Cup arrives.
MINOR TWEAKS ON DEFENCE
There were minor tweaks apparent in the defence in this game, with the Bok backs holding off
slightly before committing to the inside to try and stop the leaks on the outside, and generally the defence was good in the middle.
The second half in particular saw the rush defence take over, and cut the All Blacks down as they tried to spread it wide and run the Boks’ off their feet.
And the maul and the scrum, those two points were magnificent in underpinning the Bok victory, to which the All Blacks had little answer.
Afterwards Erasmus apologised for his outburst a week earlier, where he dropped the F-bomb in reaction to Dave Rennie continually questioning their scrum.
On Saturday night the Boks didn’t attack the All Blacks scrum ball, but won five penalties on theirs, relieving pressure and then providing crucial points with the pushover scrum just before halftime.
Rennie was mum on the Bok scrum after this defeat, saying he had no issues with the penalties given, a far cry from a week earlier.
EPIC SERIES
“I thought it was epic. I think the whole series was epic,” Erasmus said. Obviously, we're happy tonight, but I don't want to swear again because I got into trouble last time — I really apologise for that last weekend, it was not well-mannered, I apologise. No, it was epic and it was intense.
“Both teams lost some vital players — we lost Cheslin (Kolbe), they lost Ardie (Savea). It was a fierce battle in all departments. I think the scoreboard at the end showed how close the game was. We were happy, we won. Now we're almost trying to replicate that in Baltimore.”
Erasmus made the point that the series cannot be lost, but there still is a lot to be won for the Boks in Baltimore. And that means a mindset reset - the game will be as intense as the three in South Africa, but because it is abroad, will have a different flavour to it altogether. Still it is one the Boks want to win.
“Without a doubt — I know people have said the series is already decided in South Africa's favour, but it isn't. Three games were played here and we're two-one up. So nothing is settled by this game alone — like last weekend, they scored a try right at the death again.
“So we get on the plane, hopefully Dave and I will have a beer — his a little more bitter, mine a little sweeter. Then Sunday we get into camp, assess the injuries and start planning. It's a great rivalry and we play to win the series, they're playing to take it back. So yes — I'll say it again — it's flipping important.”
CHANGES EXPECTED FOR BALTIMORE
This week may see the Boks make a few changes to give their extended squad members a go, especially as they can’t lose the series, and those decisions will be crucial in the context of next year’s World Cup.
What happens there, and what those changes are, will tell us a lot more about the future of the Bok broader squad ahead of the World Cup.
For now though, that beer is sweet and the Boks are on route to the USA, and while there is a game left and the Series isn’t over, for many South Africans, Saturday night’s victory means this team still is No 1 in the world.
And possibly the sweetest words for any Bok fan came from their inspirational captain Siya Kolisi.
When a journalist said this was one of their best games ever played, he disagreed, and said he believes this side can play better.
“The first game (loss at Ellis Park) I thought we played better than these past two games. We just didn’t convert (in the first test),” Kolisi said.
“But the more we play together the better we get. A lot of us have played together for a long time, but that doesn’t mean we will automatically gel when it comes to a game.
“I still feel there is so much more we can do better, because I have seen us when we are at our best. They [All Blacks] are a very good attacking side but our defence will definitely get better. Also on attack, there are opportunities that we should be taking.
“We will see (in the review) what we can do better. I think playing together more always helps, but injuries happen and some guys need to get game time. So we can definitely get better and I am looking forward to the improvements we can make next week.”
That is why Baltimore is so important - not just for the changes that may be made to the team, but to see if this Bok team can back it up and make it three in a row. While many have lamented that the final test of the series shouldn’t have been scheduled abroad, the fact that there is a fourth game is a massive thing - as it gives them something to build on.
And gives the rest of us another chance to watch this epic rivalry write another chapter.