Sir Graham Henry: Springboks have ‘gone backwards’ but there is ‘no doubt’ about their ability
Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx and an inset of ex-All Blacks boss Sir Graham Henry.
Sir Graham Henry has weighed in on the state of the four Rugby Championship teams after two rounds of action.
All four sides notched up victories in the opening fortnight of the competition, with New Zealand topping the table after picking up bonus points in their victory and defeat.
However, the All Blacks face a tough challenge in rounds three and four of the tournament as they host defending champions South Africa in back-to-back Tests, the first of which is at Eden Park.
Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks outfit kicked off their year with comprehensive victories over the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia, but suffered their first setback in their Championship opener at Ellis Park.
Springboks aren’t as good as they were in 2024
South Africa charged into a 22-5 lead in Johannesburg but imploded, conceding 33 unanswered points as they lost to the Wallabies at Ellis Park for the first time in the professional era.
They did bounce back to secure a 30-22 victory over Joe Schmidt’s charges in Cape Town the following week as they leaned more on their traditional strengths masterfully implemented by fly-half Handre Pollard.
Former All Blacks boss Henry, who won the 2011 Rugby World Cup, believes that the Boks have regressed this year after beating New Zealand in back-to-back matches in South Africa last year.
However, the 79-year-old was full of praise for the Wallabies, who have improved under the tutelage of Schmidt and ex-All Blacks scrum coach Mike Cron.
“I think that the Aussies have got better. Their coaching is very good, they have improved immensely, which is great for rugby on this side of the world,” he told Newstalk ZB.
While he believes that the Springboks aren’t as strong as they were in 2024, he warned the All Blacks that Erasmus’ men will pose a real challenge at Eden Park.
“I think that the South Africans have gone backwards from last year, but they will be hugely motivated for the All Blacks to,” he added.
“Eden Park will be a massive Test. They have got the ability, there is no doubt about that, they have got more depth than anybody in the world right now – depth and talent.
“But Joe Schmidt and Mike Cron have done a fabulous job at the Wallabies, and they have got their pride back, their problem is they don’t have a lot of depth. So whether they can keep a top team on the park is the big challenge. ”
Sir Graham Henry slams ‘ridiculous’ notion that the All Blacks are the ‘dumbest and dirtiest’ team
Henry was also hugely complimentary of the Pumas in their maiden victory over New Zealand in Argentina, stating that they “completely outplayed the All Blacks across the park.”
Jake White and Eddie Jones weigh in
Eddie Jones is another renowned coach who believes that the Springboks’ performances have slipped lately, but the current Japan boss thinks that this is because they are going through a transitional period.
“There’s that part of it [all the changes], and the second part is that the Springboks are going through some sort of transitional period,” he said on the Rugby Unity podcast ahead of the second Test against Australia.
“They’ve had two successful World Cups, and because of that, they’ve had players at the right age to win it. Those players who have been up for eight years are starting to get older.
“So they need to be thinking about how to replace those players, and I think Rassie has spoken about that in a way with how he talks about building depth, but they are they are rebuilding to an extent.
“This team’s gone back to the old formula. De Allende comes back, Willie le Roux comes back, Pollard, Jean-Luc du Preez is the big, physical number eight. They’ve gone back to a better calling lock, which has always been a traditional part of the Springbok setup.
“Sometimes when you’re rebuilding, you have to go back to the past to help you rebuild again. Losing that Test would have hurt them, and they’ve gone back to a more tried and true combination that he thinks can do the job in Cape Town.”
Henry’s warning to the All Blacks comes off the back of another World Cup-winning coach’s caution to Robertson and his men, with Jake White stating that the clash at Eden Park is “much bigger than 80 minutes of rugby.”
The former Springboks head coach believes that the All Blacks ‘aura has disappeared’ and that they desperately need to extend their unbeaten run of 50 matches at their fortress.
“The 2025 Rugby Championship is being characterised for records falling and that should worry the All Blacks,” he wrote in his Rugby Pass column.
READ MORE: Jake White: Eden Park is ‘make or break’ for All Blacks who have lost their ‘aura’
