Boks’ best good enough to beat England

Mark Keohane for Sport24

What the Welsh Test showed emphatically is that South Africa’s current Test player pool is closer to 25 than 42. However those 25 are still strong enough to beat England in the upcoming test series.

A judgement on the Springboks will only be made once the English three-Test series against England is completed, but what the one-off Test against Wales emphasised was that the depth of international talent in this country does not match the hype.

There is an inflated sense of description when it comes to many of players spoken of as Springboks.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus blooded 13 new Springboks against Wales. He had two training sessions with the team, while also working with a different starting XV that will play England in Johannesburg this Saturday.

There must be perspective in what has transpired in the build-up to the opening two Tests. The England performance is where the Boks and Erasmus’s immediate impact will be measured. He would have had two weeks with the squad, it will be a home game and it will be the 23 players he deems to be the strongest available.

Read the rest of my view on the Welsh test, versus what South Africa is capable of come the English tests, at Sport24