Ken Borland

There has been much talk lately as regards the prospects of the world champion Springboks as they return to action in July, but we should probably ignore the extreme views of certain bitter New Zealanders who have denigrated South African rugby and also those of local journalists who have arrogantly predicted a 3-0 whitewash of the British and Irish Lions.

The familiar Bok-bashing from the Antipodes made many people in South Africa very angry, especially the suggestion that the Springboks won the World Cup due to a “helpful schedule”. I don’t remember too many people from New Zealand thinking anyone but England were going to win the final, especially after they battered the All Blacks in the semis, so it’s difficult to understand how that was an “easy” path to the trophy for Siya Kolisi’s team.

The article also churlishly wrote off South Africa’s 2019 Rugby Championship win and, perhaps most disgustingly, accused South African rugby of cowardice for not playing in the tournament last year. Author Ben Smith is normally someone whose articles I enjoy, but to just ignore the horrors of the Covid-19 pandemic and the many thousands who lost their lives, never mind the effect on the economy, was just plain ugly. Our country suffered through one of the hardest lockdowns on the planet and playing rugby would have been thoroughly irresponsible at that time. It would have been idiotic for our players to try and take on Aussies and Kiwis who had enjoyed a few months of rugby already.

The good thing about the tripe that was published though was that it provided one of the most classic take-downs on social media because director of rugby Rassie Erasmus actually replied to Smith. His response was “This always made sense to me: A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of a sheep.”

That was so good that it really deserved a mic drop or a “Regards, Rassie” at the end.

One can understand the bitterness of some All Blacks supporters because they play with such elan and confidence but that does not make them the best team in the world. The Springboks have chosen substance over style and they have the World Cup and the No.1 ranking to show that they are currently the team to beat.

Smith is correct though when he says talk of a Springbok whitewash should be quelled and we should be happy with just winning the series. England and semifinalists Wales showed at the World Cup that they are powerhouses of the game, while New Zealand and Australia have certainly declined, and now the British and Irish teams are sending their best of the best.

While I have no doubt that the crafty Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber will have honed the Springbok team in the training camps and two Tests against Georgia in the build-up, they will still have to adapt to that step-up in intensity that Test rugby provides, especially when it’s a bunch of manic British and Irish Lions who are the opposition.

I have no doubt it’s going to be a hotly contested series, both teams are going to have to work very hard for any advantage and a 3-0 result either way is extremely unlikely. Which is the way it should be.

There is a certain mythology that grows around Lions tours and the strategic battle between Warren Gatland and Erasmus/Nienaber is going to be fascinating. Reports from the UK suggest Gatland has identified a brutal physical battle as the most important factor, but I fancy the Springboks will be a bit sneakier than to just rely on their brawn.

Doing well in the Indian Premier League will obviously help, but CSA Director of Cricket Graeme Smith says free agents will need to prove their total commitment to the Proteas if they are to earn a recall to the national side.

Faf du Plessis, Chris Morris, AB de Villiers and Imran Tahir all put in noteworthy performances before the IPL was suspended earlier this week, one match away from the halfway stage, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many fans would want all four of them to be back in India in October, representing South Africa at the T20 World Cup.

Smith said that while the door was not closed for them to be selected, there were certain conditions that needed to be met first.

Asked specifically about all-rounder Morris, he said “I notice Chris said there have not been discussions with him, but he joined the high performance programme in Lockdown last year. No-one has a definitive right to play for the Proteas, it’s up to the selectors and their performance on the field. Lately Chris’s performances have been really good, both in the IPL and in our T20.

“But we can’t choose someone who is going to go in half-arsed, who is 50/50 about it. We need to know that the player is fully committed and will do everything required and everything for the team. It’s a question that applies to all of the free agents, who are technically still always available for the Proteas. AB de Villiers has officially retired so that’s a different discussion that is ongoing,” Smith said this week.

The West Indies have won two of the last three T20 World Cups despite many of their top players being scattered around the globe, and free agents like Chris Gayle, Samuel Badree and Andre Russell did the business for them in the last tournament, held in 2016 in India.

“The free agents are generally more experienced in the format than most players and we’ve seen the success the West Indies have had using them, so it’s definitely something we would consider. But the selectors also have to consider team dynamics and the type of players we have in our own system.

“Right now the focus is on trying to get the best squad together in the build-up. We have 15-17 T20s lined up, including plenty of sub-continent preparation, so the squad will have plenty of time together. It should be a nice build-up for October,” Smith said.

The last season was a disrupted one due to Covid-19, but in the coming year the Proteas management are going to be much more answerable for results, starting with the tour to the West Indies next month, CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith said on Thursday.

Head coach Mark Boucher has been coming under fire for the Proteas record of losing five of their eight Tests and winning just four of their 16 T20 internationals since he was appointed in December 2019. South Africa’s ODI record in that time is decent, however, with five victories against three losses.

Boucher made no secret of the fact that the Test team needed a lot of work when he took over, with the retirements of half-a-dozen world-class performers in recent years, and he has often had to field weakened teams in white-ball cricket.

“We’re heading into a crucial period for both players and management. Previously we were just trying to get as much cricket played as possible and we used more than 30 players. We have lost a number of key players and then the cancellation of domestic four-day cricket in December didn’t help the team either. So it was a bit of an exploratory period.

“Mark Boucher was able to identify players going forward and I think this period now is crucial in terms of results. We need to get our best team playing together, we have two Tests and five T20s from the beginning of June in the West Indies and then the white-ball squad goes directly to Ireland. There’s a small break in August and then we have T20 series in Sri Lanka and India and then the T20 World Cup,” Smith said.

The former Proteas captain also praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their handling of the Covid crisis that has led to the suspension of the IPL. Smith said all the South African players he had spoken to had enjoyed their Indian ‘adventure’ and felt safe in their bio-bubble.

Smith mentioned that India will play three Tests, three T20s and three ODIs in South Africa next summer and the good working relationship between CSA and the IPL has certainly played a part in that tour coming to fruition.

“The BCCI has been exemplary in getting our players out of India, although it has been easier with us because our borders have not been closed and commercial flights are still available. Some of our players are already back here, but by Friday all of our IPL guys will be out. The players say they felt safe and it was a really good experience, they were happy with the duty of care the BCCI showed.

“With the unpredictable nature of Covid, a bio-secure bubble is never fool-proof and if the virus is raging in your country then there is always a risk. Once it gets inside then it becomes very difficult. CSA has run 15 BSBs and not enough has been made of our success. We need to give credit to our doctors and compliance officers, they have shown how successful our bubbles are,” Smith said.

In terms of experience, Bulls tighthead prop Mornay Smith may seem ill-equipped to take on the might of Stormers and Springbok loosehead Steven Kitshoff this weekend in their Rainbow Cup match in Cape Town, but the 23-year-old has been on a roll lately and he says he is “not having sleepless nights” about the prospect.

Smith has marked himself out as a top-class talent for the Bulls, having come on as a replacement for Springbok Trevor Nyakane in some crunch games and shown that he can bear the heavy responsibility of being the cornerstone of the scrum on his shoulders.

He started last weekend against the Lions and did well, but is likely to be back on the bench on Saturday with Nyakane expected to play. But with the marvellous Kitshoff generally playing deep into the second half, Smith could well get his first chance to scrum against one of the world’s best.

“It’s the first time I’m playing against the Stormers because last time we played them I was out injured, and I have never scrummed against Kitshoff before. It’s going to be a very big challenge, but it’s lekker to play against the No.1 loosehead, to measure yourself against him. It all depends on what he gives me on the day, but I’m not having sleepless nights about it.

“Every prop has his own way of doing things and you have to read what your opponent is giving you, you must counter whatever picture he is showing you. Now that I’ve had a few games off the bench, I’m just trying to get as much experience as possible. It’s a long season so I don’t feel that much pressure on me and it’s nice that the props around me have much more experience,” Smith said on Wednesday.

Thanks to his parents being big Bulls supporters, Loftus Versfeld was always the destination of choice for Smith as he attended Hoerskool Eldoraigne and played age-group rugby for the Bulls, from U12s to U21s.

“My parents were always big Bulls supporters so I always wanted to play for the Bulls, it was a big dream of mine. So they are very proud and going forward now we will just see what happens. I’m still fine-tuning my scrumming to get it right, there are a couple of small things that need more attention. But I’m taking it step by step,” Smith said.