Dave Rennie raises serious Springbok concern ahead of the Rugby World Cup
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Concern.
Dave Rennie has raised a significant question over the Springboks ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup despite admitting South Africa are currently setting the benchmark for the rest of the world.
The All Blacks ended Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry with a 43-28 defeat in Baltimore on Saturday, handing the world champions a 3-1 series victory after four fiercely contested Tests.
It leaves New Zealand with plenty to ponder ahead of Australia 2027, but Rennie remains convinced his side made significant progress during their extended stay together.
“We’ll wake up tomorrow and know we’re moving in the right direction,” Rennie said.
“We scored 17 tries in the four Tests. We’re in a good place, but tonight will hurt.
“I thought we defended pretty well throughout the series but got beaten by some of their flash boys tonight.”
Rennie nevertheless acknowledged that the Springboks are currently where the All Blacks want to be with just over a year until the World Cup.
But he also raised one potentially significant question over whether the experienced South African group that won the series will remain intact by the time the tournament arrives.
“They’re where we want to get to,” Rennie said.
“We’ve been together for 10 or 11 weeks while they have a lot of experience. I’m not sure if all of those guys will still be here this time next year.”
Rassie Erasmus has continued to integrate younger players into his squad while retaining a core of experienced double World Cup winners, with the Springbok coach frequently discussing the importance of building depth ahead of 2027.
Rennie was full of praise for the development of the world champions throughout the four-Test series.
“You have to give it to them. They’ve got better and better as the tour has gone on.”
The All Blacks won the opening Test at Ellis Park before South Africa responded with three successive victories in Cape Town, Soweto and Baltimore to clinch the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Despite the final 3-1 scoreline, Rennie believes there was considerably less separating the teams than the result in Baltimore might suggest.
“Look at all the numbers, and they’re very even, but the Springboks were electric with their opportunities.
“We were trying to chase the game late and put ourselves under a bit more pressure. It’s disappointing because we had plans of winning this series.
“There’s a lot of small things we’ve been focusing on. Our carry and clean, you have to earn it against these guys. We had to work hard for our points.
“But the work ethic has been excellent, the guys have been great, and I knew coming here we’d grow.”
