After winning a historic fourth World Cup title last year, the Springboks have continued to build on that platform this year, winning eight out of 10 Tests to date.
The two losses have come in the form of a last minute loss to Ireland, while a shock defeat to Argentina could have been avoided if a goal kick late in the game had not sailed wide.
Other than that, the Springboks have enjoyed a relatively comfortable run to the Rugby Championship title, while racking up four successive wins over the All Blacks (with two victories this year coming after back-to-back triumphs in 2023).
South Africa’s traditional rivals have been extremely magnanimous in defeat, and former All Blacks stalwart Wyatt Crockett is the latest to give credit where it’s due.
“This Springboks team is one of the great teams of the modern era,” he told SENZ Radio’s Mornings with Ian Smith.
“They’ve won a couple of World Cups and have massive depth in every position. Their B team is not too far off their A team.”
Praise has been pouring in for Springboks
UK columnist Robert Kitson is another pundit who has suggested there is no denying how far the Springboks have come.
“Let’s just say the evidence is increasingly indisputable: Erasmus and co are showing the aforementioned global rugby community the way forward.
“Whether their rivals are willing to acknowledge it or not, the Springboks are threatening to become – if they are not there already – the professional era’s most consistent winning machine.
“Yes, the All Blacks hoisted two World Cups in a row, in 2011 and 2015, and won Rugby Championships for fun, but even they never possessed the sheer weight of simultaneous silverware that this Bok squad are amassing.”
DO YOU THINK THIS IS THE GREATEST BOK TEAM OF ALL TIME?
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