Bob Skinstad ‘worried’ Springboks have peaked too soon as Ireland great claims ‘the gap isn’t big’
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and an inset of former Springboks captain Bobby Skinstad.
Former Springboks loose forward and captain Bobby Skinstad is wary that Rassie Erasmus’ charges have peaked too soon ahead of their Rugby World Cup three-peat attempt.
However, legendary Ireland full-back Geordan Murphy argues that the gap between South Africa and the rest isn’t as big as it’s being made out to be.
Rassie won’t let complacency slip in
The duo aired their views on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, with Skinstad stating that while he is concerned that the Boks are hitting their best form too early, he believes that Erasmus and his staff are building a sustainable squad and consistency in performance.
“I mean, it’s always a worry [to peak too soon],” the 2007 World Cup winner said.
“I think what they’re trying to build towards is a sustainable squad that can override any big injury concerns going in, and that means you’ve got to have more players available.
“They are trying to get consistently good enough to beat the best teams in the world.
“I saw stats where the team is trying to get their average score higher than 30 consistently, because just below 30 is where the best three teams in the world are and then the opposition average score is below 17 or 16 because that means they’re outside of a double score in the last 10 minutes of matches which is where you lose games in World Cups.
“So I think they’re aiming at the right things, but I don’t know, I don’t think he’s going to allow any form of complacency to get in.
“So the players will be surprised by things over the next two years, and the public will be surprised by things over the next two years, particularly in preparation for the World Cup.”
The gap isn’t that big
There is a growing notion, particularly after the results in the Quilter Nations Series, that South Africa is comfortably ahead of the chasing pack.
However, ex-Leicester Tigers boss Murphy doesn’t believe that to be true, pointing to the fact that the Springboks only beat Ireland by 11 points despite dominating the fixture.
He argues that another referee could have viewed their scrummaging dominance differently, and a few of the penalties could have gone the other way.
“I don’t think they’re that far ahead. I really think everybody is very consistently close,” he began.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, they are number one, and I think they’re the best. But I don’t think the gap is as big as you think.
“You look at the fixture on the weekend, if the scrum decisions go a different way, or you have a referee that slightly interprets something a different way and goes ‘Actually, I’m not moving to let you go straight through there or there subtle angles’, and there are props all over the world salivating at what they saw.
“But there are so many different things that can go on there. That referee on a different day goes, actually, ‘No, you’re kicking out, or you’re pushing through and gives Ireland a couple of penalties. Then the game is so much closer.
“I would have loved to see England play South Africa this autumn. I think that would have been amazing.”
England and South Africa will lock horns in 2026 in the opening game of the Nations Championship, with the venue still to be determined.
READ MORE: Ex-Springboks captain: ‘I’ve got no reason to sing Rassie’s praises… I hated him’
