The Springboks confirmed their status as the best team in the world after a dominant campaign to win this year’s Rugby Championship title.
Not only did they win their first southern-hemisphere crown since 2019, but also broke New Zealand’s 15-year stranglehold on the Freedom Cup, while keeping hold of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate after winning back-to-back games in Australia for the first time since 1992.
Despite their 29-28 loss to Los Pumas in Argentina that cost them top-spot on the confusing World Rugby rankings, coach Rassie Erasmus’ Boks truly had no equals in this year’s tournament as they wysed how deep their talent pool of players are by using 49 men to get them to gold.
Bear in mind that they had to take the field without injured locks Lood de Jager, RG Snyman and Franco Mostert, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, centre Andre Esterhuizen, fullback Damian Willemse and prop Steven Kitshoff.
But ‘hou vas ons biere’ said prop Ox Nché, lock Ruan Nortje, scrumhalf Grant Williams and No.15 Aphelele Fassi as they stepped in their positions to fill the voids.
There can, however, be no doubt that yster flank Pieter-Steph du Toit was the Boks’ grootste hond to lead the charge to get them to the TRC title after winning four Man-of-the-Match awards during the competition.
Meanwhile, at flyhalf, Stormers sensation Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu announced himself as a future great, although Mzansi will be disappointed in the youngster for almost ruining his career by hiding a injury to play against the All Blacks in the 18-12 win in Cape Town.
At fullback, Fassi looks like he has made the position his to keep, even with Willemse touted to make his return to the national team for their three-Test end-of-year tour.
There was, however, players from the opposition that have given the Boks a bit of a skrik during the campaign.
Rookie All Blacks flanker Wallace Sititi was gevaarlik in Cape Town, while Argentina flyhalf Tomas Albornoz and his inside centre Santiago Chocobares were also the main reasons why the Argies managed to shock the Springboks in Santiago del Estero.
Daily Voice’s TRC Starting XV: 15 Aphelele Fassi (SA), 14 Cheslin Kolbe (SA), 13 Damian de Allende (SA), 12 Santiago Chocobares (Arg), 11 Caleb Clarke (NZ), 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (SA), 9 Grant Williams (SA), 8 Wallace Sititi (NZ), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), 6 Siya Kolisi (SA), 5 Tupo Vaa’i (NZ), 4 Eben Etzebeth (SA), 3 Frans Malherbe (SA), 2 Malcolm Marx (SA) and 1 Ox Nché (SA).