For a second time in three years of Harrassmiss the Boks ventured outside their cocoon. The other was in the WC final. Both matches were preceded with dour games where the Boks struggled playing negative rugby and were roundly criticized by the rugby world.
The sequence puts to bed the silly notion that Harrassmiss deliberately head faked England by playing Wales tight…..he played Wales and all the tests up to last Saturday this year with win at all costs rugby.
Although the pre match discussions were undoubtedly a head fake and clever. Why NZ never learned from England and took the bait hook, line and sinker is puzzling…..to me it was very likely the Boks would try to pull the same trick.
The irony of course is these are the only two matches in the long sequence we deserved to win. I exclude the Bargies who frankly have regressed enormously. The Wales/Lions matches were all 50/50…..the Oz matches we were clearly beaten. But the Pom match was unequivocal and we were the better team in the second AB test, although lucky to pull it off, NZ had the same kind of opportunity at the death we had the prior week and botched it, as we did.
The underlying message here is criticism of a poor product produced a better one. The Boks suffer from too much support. A sycophantic press and an undemanding fan base that has happily settled for 3rd in the RC because we scraped back to number one. The medium to change the Boks was the overseas press and the few Bok fans who bravely rejected the dog food.
High standards and honesty apparently does the Boks far more good than mindless loyalty. There is no doubt these were the best two Bok performances.
Be loyal if that rocks your boat, but be objective.
