One week after Ian Foster’s credibility as All Blacks head coach was in tatters at Mbombela Stadium, he checkmated the Springboks at Ellis Park, writes ZELIM NEL.
One week after Ian Foster’s credibility as All Blacks head coach was in tatters at Mbombela Stadium, he checkmated the Springboks at Ellis Park, writesSwitch off the air-raid sirens, there’s no need to panic – the Boks are on the right track and will be serious contenders at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. However, the world champions do need to pay serious attention to the fact that they were outwitted in Joburg where poor selections contributed to their demise.
In the buildup to the Ellis Park clash, Erasmus contributed to an avoidable defeat with a string of bad calls. It wasn’t all down to Dweba’s inaccuracy – Whitelock also harassed Marx – but the fact that he was yanked after 30 minutes confirms he wasn’t ready to play in this match. Roos is particularly poignant in the aftermath of a loss where the Bok defence was challenged to mop up the mess caused by the All Blacks finding ways over the blitz.