Truly the best ever?

The Springbok rugby team that won the Vodacom Tri-Nations title in scintillating fashion on Saturday by beating New Zealand 32-29 in a pulsating game at Hamiltons, was hailed by some members of the South African rugby media as the best ever in Green and Gold. But, that may just be a slight overstatement and runs the risk of complacency.

It is no doubt an accolade bestowed on the Boks because of the trophies that have filled the cabinet of the South African Rugby Union on the third floor of the Sports Science Institute building in Newlands over the past three years.

In short, the whitewash of the All Blacks in 2009 – three out of three – means the Boks have in their possession every trophy available to them: the World Cup, a British & Irish Lions series victory, the Tri-Nations, the Mandela Challenge Plate (for a 2-1 series win against Australia) and the Freedom Cup (beating the All Blacks 3-0).

"Best Boks ever" was the bold headline in the sports section of the Sunday Times, while "Courageous Springboks undoubted world No.1" declared the Sunday Independent on its front page. (Source: SuperSport Zone)

"It doesn't get much sweeter than this"; "I was happy to be collateral damage – Smit"; and "Tri-Nations wrapped up with vintage victory over All Blacks to complete trophy cabinet" were other prominent headlines.

The Times claimed that the current Boks are the greatest to wear the Green and Gold, with the Tri-Nations title following victory in the 2007 World Cup and a three-Test series triumph over the British and Irish Lions this year.

"If this Springbok team is not the best ever to wear the Green and Gold, they're doing a helluva job pretending to be. There were elements of greatness in the manner in which they snuffed the life out of the Tri-Nations." (Sunday Times, 13 September 2009)

The Independent highlighted the courage of the Springboks in a match that ended with blood on the face of captain and tighthead prop, John Smit, who also led his country to World Cup glory in Paris two years ago. (Source: SuperSport Zone)

"Not only are they the best team around, they may be also the most courageous, given the long queue of players requiring medical attention after they put their bodies on the line."

South Africa became Tri-Nations champions for only the third time in 14 attempts after defeating New Zealand twice at home and once away, and Australia once at home and once away.

History’s tale

What makes these accolades as being the 'best-ever' slightly dubious, however, is the quality of ‘opposition’, the records of other historical contenders in the Green and Gold, for the so-called title as the best-ever Bok team.

Reflect on these amazing statistics achieved by previous Springbok teams: From 1949 to 1953, the national rugby team won 10 tests in a row. It was a team featuring several all-time greats, including Hennie Muller, Tjol Lategan and Ryk van Schoor.

From October 1994 to November 1995, the Green and Gold achieved 14 straight test victories under the tutelage and mentorship of Kitch Christie. That included the Webb Ellis Trophy, or World Cup, in 1995 when the team of Francois Pienaar beat the Jonah Lomu-inspired All Black onslaught on the world title in an epic final at Ellispark.

In August 1997, the South Africans simply demolished the might of Australia by 61-22 in a Tri-Nations match. That was the start of a run of 17 consecutive Springbok test wins. Nick Mallett coached the Boks after Carel du Plessis received his marching orders following the Tri-Nations campaign of 1997.

And do not forget that between 1967 and 1971, the South Africans beat France (2-1 at home), the British and Irish Lions, France again, the Wallabies and the All Blacks (3-1 at home); and were undefeated on a very long tour to Australia in 1971.

The tour of Australia started the international career of Morné du Plessis, and saw the end of the tenure of test veteran and legend Frik du Preez, as arguably South Africa’s greatest ever lock.

But how does one differentiate between the good and the great? Why would one decide that the class of 1960/1 and 62, which conjured up victories over the All Blacks at home and won five consecutive tests against northern hemisphere teams, are simply better than the current Bok teams?

The most experienced in history

What makes the Springbok team of 2007-2009 such a superb unit, is the quality of opposition it has beaten. It has outperformed the All Blacks when the Kiwis were number one in the world, and the South Africans have overpowered the Wallabies as the number-three team in the world.

The team's victories of 36-0 over England during the Rugby World Cup, and 52-8 in the Tri-Nations campaign against the Wallabies in 2008 were simply outrageously good.

The team of 2009 is ultimately the most experienced team in history.

Professor Tim Noakes, one of the founders of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and a behind-the-scenes adviser to the Rugby World Cup team of 2007, provided a very sensible yardstick in assessing greatness.

He said, at the time, that if seven or eight players in the World Cup team of 2007 would be assessed as the best in the world in their positions, South Africa would go on to win the Webb Ellis Trophy.

Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Os du Randt, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Juan Smith either made the non-official team of the tournament group, or came close to being that team.

The greatness of the squad of 2009 is not only attributable to the silverware, but also to certain performers who may certainly go down in history as some of the best players yet produced in their respective positions for South Africa: Du Preez, Matfield, Botha, John Smit (as captain), Habana and Jean de Villiers.

South Africa also unearthed astonishing talent on the ground, with Heinrich Brussouw outplaying some of the best so-called 'fetchers' in world rugby, such as George Smith and Richie McCaw.

Craven’s judgement

The former president of SA Rugby, Dr Danie Craven was a man who firmly believed in the power of good combinations. He was the one who coined the rugby term "steady and flashy" to describe a very good centre pairing.

He also said a good lock combination fielded one man who was a jumper and an athletic player who showed his flashes of brilliance around the park, while his lock partner usually was the mongrel in the tight exchanges, and an enforcer.

De Villiers and Fourie live up to that image in midfield, while Botha and Matfield surely endorse the Craven credentials for great lock pairings.

The great Springbok teams of all times had six things in common: great place kickers, of whom Percy Montgomery, James and Morné Steyn are great exponents in the class from 2007 to 2009. All of these teams had superb captains: Dawie de Villiers was a great example of this from 1967 to 1970, while Francois Pienaar in 1995 and Gary Teichmann were similarly gifted as leaders of men.

As Jim Collins wrote in his book Good to Great, they had the visionary skills, and were able to be on the balcony and on the dancing floor at the same time.

Thirdly, they had superb game-breaking backs. Willie-John McBride said in 1974: “Visiting teams, including the Lions, have never been afraid of your forwards. But we fear your backs, for they are the crafty buggers.”

This backline, with Habana, the two centres Du Preez and Frans Steyn, and Ruan Pienaar as shining examples, certainly have good game-breaking abilities.

HO de Villiers, John Gainsford, Mannetjies Roux, Jannie Engelbrecht and Gert Muller were certainly superb during their era, and André Joubert, Joost van der Westhuizen and Henry Honiball as well as Pieter Rossouw certainly enhanced the reputation of great Springbok backs in 1997 and 1998.

Fourthly, Schalk Burger Sr., father of the Bok flank Schalk, often said that the great Springbok teams of the past were feared for three things: the first kick-off, the first scrum and the hand speed of the three quarters. The last point ties up with the game-breaking backs.

But South Africa’s defensive efforts have always been a hallmark of the great teams. That is why opposing teams feared the first kick-off and the crunch tackle. Mannetjies Roux once became the scourge of British writers when he broke the jaw of Richard Sharpe.

Jan Ellis broke the collarbone of the legendary Barry John in the first Lions test of 1968, and Joggie Jansen smashed Wayne Cottrell in the first All Black test of 1970. Cottrell had to be escorted from the field and that tackle was often described as one of the turning points of the test series of 1970.

The massive defensive effort of the Boks in the defining test of the Tri-Nations campaign in 2009 in Hamilton was characterised by 94 tackles by the men in Green and Gold.

Fifthly, the power of the Bok scrum had been a great feature of past teams. It was less evident for the class of 2007 to 2009, although Os du Randt was a giant figure for the Boks during the great victory runs from 1994 to 1995 and during the Rugby World Cup in 2007.

Strong scrumming front rows such as Jaap Bekker, Piet "Spiere" du Toit and Chris Koch featured in some of the most memorable Bok line-ups, not forgetting Mof Myburgh and Hannes Marais during the era from 1967 to 1971.

The coaches

Lastly, great Bok teams were characterised by superb motivational coaches. Carwyn James, legendary Welsh visionary, once told Phil Bennett when he made his debut for Wales: “Go and show the world what all of Stradey (the headquarters of Llanelli club) knows already.” That motivation inspired Bennett to excel.

Kitch Christie, coach of the Springbok team of 1995, featured in 14 tests, all won by the Boks. As a man-manager and as an advocate for sound discipline, he was almost unsurpassed.

Incidently, Peter de Villiers, the current Bok coach, boasts the second-best winning percentage of all Bok coaches since South Africa’s return from sporting isolation (16 wins out of 22, or 72.7%).

Jean de Villiers, when pressed on the influence of Peter de Villiers on the current squad, said: “Peter has been heavily criticised, but he has proven that he is the right guy for the right time with this Springbok side.

“We are getting the victories and he must take credit for it. He kept the team together and introduced a man-management style that has made us even more successful.”

Enough said. Let us salute a great team of 2009, and its coach. Is this team the best ever? It is difficult to compare eras, but John Smit and his mighty warriors deserve credit, as they have continued the fine tradition of many great Springbok teams before them.