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2nd April 2024
01:54pm BST
Everyone that has watched episode two of the Springbok documentary on their World Cup win - Super Sport's 'Chasing the Sun 2' - will be eagerly circling two big dates in the summer Test window.
South Africa successfully defended their World Cup title in France, late last year, after overcoming a pool stage defeat to Ireland. They went through Romania, Tonga, France, England and New Zealand to clinch the Webb Ellis trophy and return home as back-to-back champions, and World No.1.
The latest episode of the doc aired in South Africa on Sunday evening and the main focus was the pool stage game against Ireland. Some of the interviews were conducted after the fact, which may be why Rassie Erasmus insisted an opening win over Scotland then meant victory of the Irish was not 100% necessary. The SARU director of rugby, who is now back as Springbok head coach after Jacques Nienaber joined Leinster, insisted his team just needed to win four big games to retain their trophy.
That being said, Erasmus and his coaches ramped up the pre-game pressure by presenting some Irish-slanted media clips to the playing squad. The former Munster director of rugby told his South African squad:
"I want to show you things here that would probably upset you. It’s not to psyche you out, but to make you determined to understand what you face for Saturday."
He showed former Harlequins outhalf Andy Dunne describing the Boks as 'physical freaks' that could be out-smarted by Ireland. He also played some Off The Ball clips, where Ger Gilroy highlighted South African underage rugby as 'one of the worst sporting cultures in the world' and referred to past doping instances, and allegations. Gilroy calling the Boks 'whinging babies' was also played to the South African players. It certainly got their attention:
On those Irish media clips, Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi declared, "It’s something that got us f***ing angry... [Ireland] think they can compete with the rest of world, they’ve all the facilities, all the equipment, all the training grounds... we were f***ing upset.”
Talk of Ireland having the tactical or mental edge over South Africa clearly ground the gears of Rassie Erasmus.
"Rugby is a physical game, it’s not chess,” Erasmus told his squad. "F**king go play chess if you want to be so smart. Let them be smarter, but at least match us physically within the laws, man. Match us physically within the laws - we’ll be smart enough."
He returned to that theme in a separate chat with the coaching staff. "[The Irish] get so much satisfaction out of, ‘We’re clever, we’re clever’. And they are clever, It’s almost that that lifts them, when something spectacular works out like a move of six different f***ing lines, they feel, ‘Now we’re clever, now we’re clever. Now we’ve f***ing got them’."
Erasmus then laid out to his players what was required to rumble Andy Farrell's side. He would later explain that if the game felt personal to his players, that would drive them for 80 minutes, rather than that quick-hit emotional release that could ensure a fast start but a tapering off.
"We have to be f***ing ruthless. Siya (Kolisi). From the toss, we don’t give them respect because they’re smart, they’re technically very good. But let’s see if we can put our most ruthless, accurate, aggressive performance ever together.
"Bongi, before the scrum, look that guy in the eye and say, ‘I’m going to f**k you up’. Get yourself now in a very, very aggressive mindset.”
As we know now, Ireland would go on to win 13-8 in a match Munster and South Africa lock RG Snyman would describe as 'the toughest Test of my career'. Ireland survived an early Bok onslaught and were fortunate when Mannie Libbok and Faf de Flerk missed kicks from the tee.
Erasmus may have stressed that it was not a must-win game, but losing clearly rankled. As well as post-match dressing room footage, we get to see the match review, 36 hours later.
Following his side's 13-8 defeat to Ireland, Rassie Erasmus lit into his players during the Monday game review.
"Let’s prepare ourselves for some honesty, guys. Management and players,” Erasmus began.
"Next week, we might all fly home. All of us... You’re not f**king clowns, you’re grown men with children... For f**k’s sake, we could be number one in the world. What the f*** is wrong with you? What’s wrong with you? Have you become bigger than the game?
"I promise you, Siya Kolisi is not the biggest thing in South Africa. South Africa is the biggest thing in South Africa. It’s not because we lost, it’s because it’s been brewing and brewing and brewing. All the beautiful songs that you sing, Afrikaans, English, Xhosa, it doesn’t matter – but you’re false. You pretend that you will die for your country, but you will not."
That brutal assessment got the desired effect from the Springbok squad. They went on to see off Romania and Tonga with ease, qualifying for the knock-out stages after Ireland defeated Scotland. They then stunned France in the quarters before being pushed to the brink by England in the semis and seeing off New Zealand in a tense, close final.
With Ireland retaining their Six Nations title and remaining at No.2 in the world rankings, it is all set up nicely for this July's two-Test series against the Boks, in South Africa.
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