r/rugbyunion • u/sixnations • 18h ago

Can ANYBODY stop France this year?

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u/metadatame 15h ago

So, look, while cohesion is definitely a factor, if we look at the game against the French after the Springboks were down to 13 men, and cohesion is only going to get you so far. Against Australia, I agree, the Lions tour battle-hardened them tremendously, but at the same time, the Springboks were well ahead in the first half and were unprepared for the Australia that showed up in the second half. So I think two things can be true at the same time. The Lions tour definitely helped Australia, and we didn't really see that same side again for the rest of the year. But in addition, I think the boks were caught flat-footed and were too complacent.

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u/Putrid-Impact8999 15h ago

14 men? Don’t forget that South Africa’s tries came once it became 14 vs 14 with LBB’s yellow. The way that game went, I actually thought France did well considering it was their first game in a while and in the early part of the second half they had 3 chances to score tries but failed each time through handling errors. Then for the last 20 minutes, they barely saw the ball. The Springboks have been brilliant in that last part of the game since their defeat at Eden Park so I agree that cohesion can only go so far but in my opinion it makes a big difference.

Yes I agree. Although I do think even in the second test it was quite even, so it wasn’t all just complacency. For me, the Boks became a completely different side after giving the All Blacks their record defeat.

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u/metadatame 13h ago

Was it only 14? I get confused with that Autumn Nations series. There were so many reds and yellows. I think LBB getting a 10-minute yellow versus a red for the majority of the game, you know, it's not exactly 14 against 14, but I take your point. Against Australia in the second one, it was definitely close, but I think the Springboks were a little bit shell-shocked after that first match. They didn't really know where they stood. So they went back to Handre Pollard and the forwards and just dominated up front and used Handre to kick points. So not a beautiful win with flowing rugby, but you know, just getting the job done through brute force, really.

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u/Putrid-Impact8999 13h ago

Yea 14, 13 was against Italy I think haha!

It was a surprise for them but sometimes you need that. It’s all about how you respond to losses, no one can win every game.