The Springboks are not a team off the pace, and the recent loss in New Zealand was because several players went into that Test “too cold”, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for RugbyPass.com, Kiwi scribe Hamish Bidwell said the world-champion group among the South Africa match-day 23 beaten by the All Blacks last week, “looked past it”.
Nineteen members of the Bok lineup in Auckland featured at the 2019 World Cup, and the average age of the visitors was 29, the oldest being Duane Vermeulen (37).
In his TimesLIVE column, Keohane suggests that while there will be changes to the SA 23 for the Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Johannesburg next Saturday, the Boks remain a competitive side, just with key members in need of game time.
KEO: ‘Bewildered’ Boks lacked smarts
“There has been criticism of the Boks that they looked past it and that they looked old. Mention was made that the core was nearer the end of their international careers than at the beginning, I don’t subscribe to that view,” he writes.
“Way too much is being read into a World Cup analysis of the Boks, based on what happened in Auckland. The Boks were blitzed in the opening 20 minutes because too many players came into that match too cold. It had nothing to do with them being too old.
“This was not a team off the pace because of the heavy hoofs of Father Time.
“These players are not old: They were underdone for this Test match. The average age of the Boks at the World Cup in France will be 30 and being 30 certainly isn’t going to war with Dad’s Army.”
Photo: Alan Lee/Photosport/BackpagePix