Boks on the right track, strength in depth a massive coup for Rassie, and the Pumas and All Blacks fail to fire are our topics in this weeks what we learned from Round 1 of the Rugby Championship.
Boks on the right track
The Springboks’ 35-17 win over Australia at Emirates Airline Park was far from perfect, but Rassie Erasmus and his players will be proud of their performance nonetheless. The vibe in the squad looks to be positive and all signs are that they will continue to go from strength to strength in the coming months.
With so many big-name players having already spent time acclimatizing in New Zealand this past week and still riding the momentum of their win over the Wallabies, expect the Boks to pose a real threat to New Zealand in this Saturday’s Test match in Wellington.
Strength in depth a massive coup for Rassie
With so much speculation over the right backup options to Faf de Klerk at No 9 over the past 12-months, Erasmus has seemingly found the perfect candidates in Herschel Jantjies and Cobus Reinach. The former had an outrageous Test debut on the weekend, scoring two scintillating tries in the process, while the 29-year-old Reinach himself even bagged one after coming off the bench. When one also considers the likes of overseas-based Boks Frans Steyn, Marcell Coetzee, Flo Louw and Cheslin Kolbe, it’s safe to say Rassie has an awesome range of quality players to select from heading into the World Cup.
Pumas, All Blacks fail to fire
So much was expected of the matchup between Argentina and New Zealand on the weekend and, unfortunately, it failed to deliver on a number of fronts. Despite the All Blacks claiming their 450th win in Test matches, Steve Hansen’s depleted outfit were far from their best, seemingly missing their rested Crusaders players.
Mario Ledesma’s side were just as uninspiring and while they did well to keep the World Champions scoreless in the second-forty, their inability to take chances saw them fall rather meekly in the end. Both teams, though, are sure to find improvement heading into round two.
