SOUTH AFRICA IN 2024 REVIEWED BY A KIWI

The Autumn International Series has come to a conclusion and with it the end of the South African Springboks season.

In this episode I take a look back at the South Africans season, at the games that they played, and then I share my thoughts and opinions on what Rassie has achieved in 2024.

I share my views on some players who I thought stood out in 2024 and give a hint or two on how this South African team can be beaten.

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#southafrica #springboks #rugby

[davesmith]

Any of the top teams can beat the others on their day. However, none of the top teams can rival SA for depth or adaptability. The Irish have a core of elite players that are exceptionally well drilled in the same system, largely because most of them play at the same club. France and New Zealand have more depth but play the same game regardless of personnel. SA can play an all-court game or an attritional one and everything else in between. They have two world-class XVs, one of which you could stack with double World Cup winners, the other comprised mostly of new talent. Rassie's plan is to bed the talent in over the next three years, phasing out the old guard and establishing the new. If this plan works, SA will be very, very hard to beat.

I can see the logic - field two different XVs in successive knock-out matches and mix and match combinations in the pools to keep your rivals guessing. It's a clever strategy, adopted by a coach who understands test rugby better than anyone else. You'd think Rassie would get recognised for the feat with, you know, a coaching award, but apparently winning a gold medal in 7s, a sport in which winners change place on the podium every other week, is worthy of more acclaim than winning the World Cup and Rugby Championship in a single year - and doing so while fielding 51 different players and changing *both* your attacking and defensive coaches. There would be no end to the praise if this coach managed France, New Zealand, England or Ireland. Since he's a South African managing South Africa, we get treated to mealy-mouthed justifications for why he shouldn't be regarded as the greatest coach of his generation.

[adrianincapetown]

Thanks for taking the time to make this great content, Mark.

I would add that in addition to making an average of 10 changes per game, irrespective of the opposition, as well as losing a number of stalwarts to injury this year, what tends to be forgotten by most pundits, is that the Boks lost head/defence coach Jaques Nienaber, as well as attack coach Felix Jones, this year. Both have been instrumental to the Boks' success over the past 6 years.

As such, the Boks (not only the AB's) were operating under a new coaching team, and the results achieved this year were done while implementing new attack and defence systems, in addition to testing more players than any other team.

It'll be interesting to see how this team develops in the years to come, as the squad size is reduced, the new coaching team settles in and the players become more familiar with the new systems.

[PvC-Jan]

Hi Mark, good review of the Boks season. Rassie is really good at what he does and more important is the fact that the players bought into the management plan. This ensures a healthy competition in the team.I think Ireland and the AB’s will definitely be up there in 25. One thing to remember is that Tony’s game changer plays are still in the first year! That impact on the game gave Rassie some free reign to experiment and the Bokke will be better next year. Have a great Christmas mate. Keep up the good work!!

[scottbredin]

I have really enjoyed your channel Mark - balanced and informative. Many thanks

[alanrobertson]

Love your videos Mark from beautiful Cancun. The big test for the Boks will be the All Blacks in New Zealand next year. If they win there, truly a great team.

[RexJebamoney]

Great job on sharing your knowledge with us. Can’t agree with you 100%, but never agree with everyone 100% anyway. Great comments from your fans and the community.

Rassie looks like a genius, but credit to the team as well, as it takes two to tango. Well done Boks!!

AB’s great improvement towards the end of the season. Razor is beginning to put his brand in place.

The game is getting exciting as all the teams are very good in their own particular way. Thanks to technology we can now see the games on TV anywhere in the world.

Glad to be a fan. Merry Christmas everyone be safe and kind to everyone. Rugby is joining us together across the world.

[Won_By_One]

Baie dankie Mark vir jou uitstekende sienings. Ons waardeur jou goeie insette.

[tobysmeiman]

Hi Mark, good video. Your ability to analise and providing contex has grown considerably. Yes, Rassie did rotate many players which is good for planning, the downside is that the team lost some synergy and cohesion which spilled over into bad discipline at times. I am feeling that we may have let an extra 7 points out there per game. Would have liked to see them playing the French though.

[juanpierrebosch]

Hi Mark, that was a bank of knowledge and insight. I think you have good snippets in your report. I think you can get from this video smaller snippets that cover 'Mark's insights on' Springboks report card. Amazing insight, humble opinion, and a lot covered. It's so good that you can get a few smaller videos out of this. Keep well, champ. Peace, Love & Respect.

[Escapadeaj]

Thanks it’s been a pleasure going through your reviews. Yes the Springboks were great this year and I am proud of Rassie.

[ericdawson]

Good Onya Mark!

I always enjoy your shows — good insights and unbiased opinions.
I certainly enjoy SA rugby and respect how well they carry themselves — they are humble and polite. The coaching and management staff are also very progressive and attitude is commendable .

It has been a great year of rugby and look forward to next season already. 🏉👍

[francescomartiradonna]

Thanks Mark, as a Saffa it’s great to have so much more confidence going into matches, a feeling that the AB fans had for years. Can’t wait for next year’s clashes, it’s going to be awesome. Really hope the NZ board allow the selection of players abroad then I’m sure that Razor will have a super challenging AB side firing on all cylinders.

[GavinMcLachlan-zj]

Thank you Mark for another balanced report full of insight. Let's look forward to another wonderful year of rugby in 2025.

[designmanagementconsultanc]

Thanks for being so positive and recognising how Important Kolisi is. His passion and patriotism has brought thousands (possibly millions?) of new fans to the game, especially folk who did not support the Boks back in SA. His impact cannot be underestimated. But, onto our competitors and I don't think Ireland could beat us in their current form and I think France are much stronger than the Irish at the moment. Pity we didn't play them this Autumn to settle that score

[steve_onyoutube]

Thanks, great video. One other aspect worth mentioning: depth is key to long format tournaments (World Cup) more than for individual games. It’s true that the gap between Ireland, AB’s and Boks isn’t significant on any given day, but I feel Boks have developed an underappreciated edge through squad depth for success in long form tournaments.

[lawrencekleyn]

Its nice to see other teams who are unheard of are climbing the ladder, I am looking at Argentina and Spain, looks good. You doing fine on the names, enjoy Cancun

[richardharrison]

Great content Mark, agree with your comments re Boks.
Only SA & Argentina that have no foreign players involved in their squad, interesting heh?

[vicdreyer]

Thanks for the video. You forgot to mention the Freedom cup. Regards from sunny South Africa.

[bradnaude]

Great video Mark. I think ABs and France will a threat to boks even at their best, but I believe the boks depth gives them a significant advantage in tournaments, they can lose a few key players and not drop in quality much at all .

[jeffreykgatitsoe]

Another great review Mark. Always looking forward to your accurate, unbiased reviews. As a proud Safa, I honestly think the gap is not that big between us and the following pack. Yes, with regards to squad depth, we are way ahead of everyone including the great AB's.