Allister Coetzee
Cape Town – Considering the similar climate of despondency, comparisons with the team which lost by a still-record 53-3 to England at Twickenham in 2002 are almost inevitable when the Springboks go into battle against those foes at the same venue today.
Lead-up circumstances are almost identical: when the Boks of 14 years ago pitched up at the famous stadium, they had been beaten five times in 10 matches during the calendar year to that point, and entered the game fragile from successive end-of-year tour defeats already to France and Scotland.
Allister Coetzee’s class of 2016 are four from nine in Test win terms, and with their last full international having been a debilitating 57-15 masterclass from New Zealand in Durban.
Frankly, it would be a surprise if the current Springboks, who look just about as makeshift and “pot luck” in some respects as the team of 2002, feel any more bullish about their chances of upsetting the English than the Corne Krige-led outfit did then.
They may try to bank some comfort from the fact that the present England side is not yet as formidable or proven as Martin Johnson’s steely, settled crew who butchered the 14-man Boks by seven tries to nil.
It was only a year later, after all, that England, fielding many of the faces who had embarrassed the South Africans at “Twickers”, went on to hoist the World Cup for the first time in their history at Sydney.
The 2016 group under the shrewd tutelage of Eddie Jones are certainly a team on the rise, and buoyed by that 3-0 June clean sweep of the Wallabies on their own turf, but do not yet boast quite the mass, cult-figure status of the line-up featuring hard man Johnson as skipper, plus the likes of Jason Robinson, Ben Cohen, Will Greenwood, Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson, Jason Leonard and Neil Back.
Nor is there terribly much reason to fear that the Boks may receive a similar sort of hammering to 2002, when a good part of the reason for the implosion was the distracting collective, foul play-laden “madness” prevalent in many of the visitors’ minds.
Krige has subsequently, in his autobiography, candidly admitted to his own culpability as supposed leader on that wretched winter afternoon in London, after the Boks had gone a man down with lock Jannes Labuschagne’s red card for a cynical late charge on golden boy Wilkinson: “I knew we were going to lose … I made up my mind to take a few people down with me.
“I committed some appalling fouls, hitting people in possession and smashing others off the ball.
“It was (and still is – Sport24) the worst beating a Bok side has ever suffered; you can imagine how I felt as captain … hurt, pain, anger, resentment, fury. When I sat down in the dressing room after the final whistle I just cried my eyes out … I was mentally shattered.
“I am not a hit man, an assassin. I regret that day more than any in my entire rugby career.”
Almost inevitably, there were considerable casualties in the aftermath: five members of the starting line-up – Labuschagne, Friedrich Lombard, Robbie Fleck, James Dalton and Wessel Roux – never played for the Boks again.
The Boks simply did not look an adhesive, classy unit then, and much the same hallmark applies, regrettably, to the starting team named by Coetzee on Thursday, even if there are enough individuals of suitable mettle to potentially make life at least fairly challenging for England (it’s not quite a fait accompli that the hosts will win, although they are widely branded clear favourites).
It is probably fair to say that the tight five the Boks will field on Saturday is capable of putting up sterner resistance than the rather threadbare one of the 2002 clash, which was minus any figures – RWC 1995 participant Dalton was well past his best by then – of the gravitas of Eben Etzebeth, just for example.
Both the 2002 and 2016 Bok starting teams are marked by certain risky, largely out-of-position selections.
Coetzee is taking a major chance by stationing the well less than whippet-like Willem Alberts on the open-side flank, even if the Boks as a whole look agreeably more “muscled-up” than for recent Tests where they have struggled in collisions.
The side Rudolf Straeuli chose for the ill-fated date 14 years ago dubiously had Butch James, far better acquainted with flyhalf, at inside centre, and versatile AJ Venter at No 5 lock, even though blindside flank or No 8 always tended to be his more suitable station.
It is history now that the general Bok battle-plan failed dismally that day.
Here’s hoping for nothing remotely like a repeat …— Sport24.