Retention of Boks' RWC narrative is bad news for Georgia

Tokyo is many flying hours away from Pretoria, one day short of 20 months has passed since then and the world has changed considerably, but in listening to Siya Kolisi speak ahead of Friday’s test against Georgia there was much that was reminiscent of the eve of the 2019 World Cup final.

* Get DStv Premium to watch all British & Irish Lions action live *

The narrative when the Boks last played, directed by the mood improvement a troubled nation would experience by seeing South Africa crowned as World Cup champions for the third time, was that the players were playing for something much bigger than themselves.

They were playing for the people who supported them, they were playing to unite the nation, to bring hope. Their bodies, as their coach put it, didn’t belong to them.

A FAMILIAR AND GALVANISING THEME

Fast forward to Thursday’s press call, this time online because of the pandemic that has cut a swathe through what we now call the old normal, and Kolisi was busy with what 20 months ago became a familiar and galvanising theme.

“We do not play for ourselves, we represent everyone who supports us and who in these times can do with having something good happen to put a smile on their faces and for us as a team this is what we love doing and why we give it everything every single day,” said Kolisi.

“It is a huge privilege to be in the position we are, to be able make people smile and give people hope. There have been businesses shut down in the last few days because of the pandemic and maybe it would be wrong to say one game can make those people who have been affected by it happy, but if we can make just a little bit of difference to some people that would be good and is what we play for.

“We play not just for ourselves as Springboks but for all the people out there that we represent,” he said.

ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW HUNGRIER

If Georgia were listening, they should have seen those words as an ominous warning.

Absence does make the heart grow fonder, in this case hungrier, and what the Boks have been missing is that feeling that comes with doing something that matters, that transcends sport.

And the British and Irish Lions, who have in their squad players who were on the receiving end of the South African commitment to the cause on 2 November 2019 in Yokohama, should take note too.

It is the attitude that makes the Boks so formidable challengers once they get deep into a World Cup campaign and can feel the entire nation is behind them.

It is something that other national teams find hard to replicate.

The “we are going to draw a line in the sand as if this is war and we will give our lives to prevent anyone crossing it” attitude of a Bok team playing in a World Cup final probably can’t be sustained over a long period of time.

It may be why the Boks have won three World Cups since 1995 but have struggled to be a dominant team in the in-between years.

And it is why the All Blacks, Wallabies and Pumas who lie in wait after the Lions series is over perhaps shouldn’t be as concerned as Georgia and the Lions should be.

The narrative and the motivation for the Boks might have changed by the time the second half of August, and what now look like more mundane challenges in comparison to a Lions tour (of course they aren’t really) come into view.

CONTINUITY IN COACHES A BOK TRUMP

For now though the one thing the pandemic and the international isolation that it forced the Boks into has done for the South Africans is add a continuity of the guiding narrative of the World Cup to their other big trump card when compared to the 1997 and 2009 series - the continuity in the management and coaching teams.

Had the Boks played through last year it might not be possible to flick the switch and engage the “continue” button.

But they didn’t and it is possible and neither will the fact that Rassie Erasmus is now director of rugby and Jacques Nienaber the head coach make any difference either.

As Bok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick pointed out, Erasmus and Nienaber know each other so well and are in such accord about most things rugby that they might as well be identical twins.

“They have a very good working relationship and know each other so well. They really have a special understanding of each other and both of them share the view that the team must always come first,” said Stick.

“Jacques has been part of our system since he and Rassie came back from Ireland and the players really do understand his voice. Jacques was there before and not much will change. The only new personnel in the coaching group are the two forward coaches, Deon (Davids) and Daan (Human) and in the last few months they’ve really settled in well.”

OPPONENTS HAVE BEEN BENEATH THE RADAR

The Boks are up against opponents on Friday who arrived beneath the radar and, because there is so much focus on the touring Lions, who start their tour the day after the Loftus test, continued under the radar for the entire build-up week.

If it was anyone other than Erasmus and Nienaber guiding the Boks we might be right to fear that the 12th ranked team in the world might be underestimated by the Boks but, like the SuperSport television commentators who face an interesting challenge pronouncing some of the names, they will have done their homework on Georgia.

As Kolisi reminded us, the Boks prepared for all their World Cup Pool games against lesser opponents as if they were preparing to play the All Blacks, so the captain probably wasn’t guilty of just trying to say the right thing when he said the focus right now is on Georgia and not the Lions.

It would be folly to think that there won’t be some rust evident in the Bok performance at Loftus, at least initially, and that is precisely the reason they are playing these two warm-up games.

But absence does make the heart grow hungrier and the Boks are hungry after 20 months of starvation.

If they strike any false notes in their first game as reigning World Cup champions, it won’t be because they’re complacent or lacking intent.

[embed:youtube:video:id=79iCMsoaup0]

Teams

South Africa: Willie le Roux, Rosko Specman, Jesse Kriel, Frans Steyn, Aphelele Fassi, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Kwagga Smith, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain), Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Trevor Nyakane, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche.

Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie, Jasper Wiese, Herschel Jantjies, Elton Jantjies, Damian Willemse.

Georgia: Davit Niniashvili, Akaki Tabutsadze, Giorgi Kveseladze, Merab Sharikadze (captain), Demur Tapladze, Tedo Abzhandadze, Vasil Lobzhaidze, Tornike Jalagonia, Beka Saginadze, Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Konstantine Mikautadze, Gigauri Davit, Giorgi Melikidze, Jaba Bregvadze, Guram Gogichashvili.

Replacements: Giorgi Chkoidze, Nikoloz Khatiashvili, Luka Japaridze, Nodar Cheishvili, Giorgi Javakhia, Gela Aprasidze, Giorgi Babunashvili, Ilia Spanderashvili.

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Kick-off: 7pm CAT (SA, GMT+2) (SuperSport Grandstand and Rugby)

Prediction: Boks to win by 25