The Springboks are the current Rugby World Champions. They will be one of the top three teams (according to the IRB rankings) present at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Similar to 1995, in 2007 South Africa were not the favorites. They did not do really well at the Tri nations that year and besides for Bryan Habana, there were not really anything exciting about them. Pierre Spies, a player that possessed a lot of flare back then was even injured early on in the tournament. These statements might make one think that South Africa stands a good change to go far, if not all the way, at this years RWC. There are a few differences though in the two events mentioned compared to this year. In 1995 and 2007, the South African coaching staff had it a bit more together. I could not recall the coach and his management being an issue in those cases. On the contrary, the coach was not really in the spotlight and it actually felt like the team did very well as a result of a healthy relationship with thier coach. This year, something that has started in 2010 is hindering the Springboks. That is the fact the Peter de Villiers are not considering his team in his behavior. Since its only the Super 15 at the moment, he does not have a major affect on the boks, but as the Tri nations and World Cup are getting closer his impact, hopefully polished and improved will be felt again. Stay tuned for some more Springbok analyzing in regards to the next rugby world cup in following posts.
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