The Springboks lifted the Rugby Championship trophy for only the second time in their history after dispatching of Argentina in the finale at the Mbombela Stadium.
The Springboks won five out of the six matches and were the dominant team throughout the tournament.
The All Blacks showed that they aren’t too far behind the Boks, while Argentina made a lot of people sit up in their chairs. The Wallabies had their moments, but have a long road ahead to try and catch up to the rest.
IOL Sport’s John Goliath looks at where the four Southern Hemisphere teams are at after the conclusion of the Rugby Championship.
And that's a wrap! A joyous day of celebration in the Lowveld brings a wonderful local Test season to an end 🥳![CDATA[]]>🥳![CDATA[]]>🥳#Springboks#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/SId4lJbtHM
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 29, 2024
Springboks are in rude health ...
The Springboks won the Rugby Championship quite convincingly in the end while constantly rotating their matchday squads.
The Springboks went from match to match with different starting line-ups, and it got to a point where people stopped trying to predict Rassie Erasmus’ teams.
But such is the depth of rugby players at the Springboks’ disposal, that they never really dropped the quality or intensity of their performances, and were even a kick away of beating Argentina away while resting many Rugby World Cup winners.
Erasmus’ ability to rotate saw the youngsters getting a taste of Test rugby, while also managing the veterans’ load as they build towards the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
This try was something special 🤯#SAPRunBetter #AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/3GTdP23wIU
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 30, 2024
Question marks over the All Blacks’ depth ...
The All Blacks will need to address the rather large elephant in the room sooner rather than later. They need to make a definitive call about picking overseas-based players.
While the All Blacks have found a number of gems such as Cortez Ratima and Wallace Sititi in this year’s tournament, they just didn’t have enough firepower off the bench to compete with the Springboks during their encounters in South Africa.
They really missed flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, who signed a multi-year deal with Toshia Brave Lupus in Japan after the World Cup in France.
It’s his experience and talent that could have been the difference in the tight Test matches. They need Mo’unga and others back in the mix if they want to compete for the title again.
La conquista de Tomás Albornoz en Mbombela. 🏉#SomosLosPumas pic.twitter.com/3sBYkoa0er
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Wallabies ...
The results may not suggest it, but there are signs that new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is on the right track after a few fighting performances in the Rugby Championship.
Of course, there was a few blowouts, such as the 67-27 hammering at the hands of Argentina. Their player pool isn’t great, because of the declining interest in rugby in the country, but there is enough to work with to make them competitive again.
Their problems will always be upfront, where - despite all the new law variations - rugby matches are still won and lost. They got hammered at scrum time throughout the season, which put them on the back foot in conceding penalties.
But they also lack a few big characters on the field, players who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and pull it through for them. Schmidt, though, still has a couple of years before their home Rugby World Cup to try and sort it out.
Still chasing a complete 80-minute performance.
— Wallabies (@wallabies) September 28, 2024
On to the Spring Tour 💚![CDATA[]]>💛#Wallabies pic.twitter.com/ExyOzyFZS0
Argentina show that they belong ...
There has been question marks about Argentina’s participation in the competition, but they silenced the doubters with their best ever Rugby Championship campaign.
Ill-discipline has been a big problem in the past, as their passion has normally spilled over into conceding stupid penalties and yellow cards. However, this year it was much better.
Los Pumas went onto the final match against the Springboks having conceded the least number of penalties in the competition, while also not conceding a yellow and red card. Obviously, that chanced on Saturday when they were just overrun by the Boks.
But besides their improved discipline, they were also the best team with ball in hand, using their speed and skill on the outside to claim wins against all three opponents in the same year for the very first time.
Felipe Contepomi is definitely cooking something, and they will only get better.
@JohnGoliath82