[imagesource: EJ Langner/Gallo Images]

Guess what today is?

It’s day 648 of 1 449 as rugby world champions, of course.

Just the 801 to go, so be sure to make each one count.

The dust has only just settled on the British & Irish Lions tour, which former skipper Sam Warburton gave the Springboks a 1% chance of winning after the opening test loss.

But win we did, with an old stalwart putting the nail in the coffin, proving that the more things change, the Morné Steyn the same.

It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t without controversy, but we did what the All Blacks couldn’t back in 2017 and we beat the British & Irish Lions.

Enter Ben Smith, who made a big noise before the tour of saying that the Boks were overrated, to which Rassie Erasmus responded that “a lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of a sheep.”

Ben is back, writing for RugbyPass, and he’s still not backing down.

Some of his points are valid, but there’s no denying that he’s clearly irked at the continued success of the Springboks, who just keep winning when it matters most.

After giving credit where credit is due, the salt is sprinkled:

…this Springboks team is discernibly still average in many areas, still living off the same game plan from two years ago.

They are excellent in areas –  a physical team with power in contact, a great maul, a great lineout, a tough defence. They work extremely hard at these areas of the game.

These tools are used in a one-dimensional game plan to make up for the obvious shortcomings – poor handling, poor catching, inconsistent passing – essentially the core components of any attacking game.

I mean, we dominated the Lions in the second test when they went to the air, but yes, our attacking game could use some fine-tuning.

But Ben is forgetting that this side has hardly played together in the almost two years since the World Cup final, so of course we’re “living off the same game plan”.

Fun fact – when the All Blacks and the Lions drew 1-1 back in 2017, the All Blacks scored 66 points.

In this series, we scored 63, and we won 2-1.

You play to your strengths:

Jacques Nienaber, the defensive tactician.#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #CastleLionsSeries pic.twitter.com/bxC9YjPbXa

— Springboks (@Springboks) August 9, 2021

But Ben isn’t done:

Waiting for the ball to bounce your way and collect the 50-50 calls is not a genius game plan. It’s really not tactical genius as some have made out. Particularly when you aren’t great in the aerial contest and your game plan revolves around it. The Springboks were deplorable in the air the entire series.

And whether Springboks supporters want to admit it or not, the results say they are an above-average team barely above Springbok teams of the past.

Since Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber took over the Springboks as a duo and employed this style of game, they are 20-9-1, winning 66.6 percent of the games.

That is correct.

But as the Proteas ODI cricket side has proven, win all the games you want, but fail to produce when it matters and it’s all for nothing.

Conversely, win when it counts most and you get a laundry list of accomplishments like this:

But included in that 66% that @bensmithrugby harps on about is:
1. 2019 Rugby Championship title.
2. 2019 Rugby World Cup
3. 2021 Lion’s Series title (@AllBlacks only managed a draw in 2017).
And @WorldRugby number 1 ranking!
It’s all about the details & the context!@SARugbymag https://t.co/qOXgExwR7q

— Barry O’Donoghue (@BarryBru) August 9, 2021

Another point well made:

I’m just going to take a moment and swing past the World Rugby ranking and see:

“Above-average” sides don’t have a clear gap between themselves and the world’s second-ranked team.

Go on, Ben, why stop now?

The South Africans so desperately want global recognition for a 66 percent winning team it seems, but don’t realise that they won’t get it until they prove to be dominate for a proper stretch of time, which, in order to achieve, would likely require winning in multiple ways to beat all before them over a prolonged period.

And all we are seeing is the same game plan, rolled out every time with results that have to be said, are inconclusive…

Absolutely no love lost between himself and Rassie:

Only those in South Africa will deify this side, led from the top by an egotistical man who has enjoyed the glory but showed he can’t hack it under pressure and act with humility when the going gets tough.

Their first loss in the series led Rassie Erasmus to go on a toxic whinge-fest on social media, stooping to a new low and really setting the bar at Trump-levels of sour, sore loser behaviour that rugby has never seen.

Can’t hack it under pressure, after winning a Rugby World Cup and then carrying the water as his side came from a test down to win the series?

One gets the feeling Ben might have been bullied at school by a South African expat.

He finishes with what I’m sure he thinks is a lovely zinger:

World Cup holders. Rugby Championship holders. Lions series winners. It all looks good on the surface.

That’s what illusions are meant to look like.

It does look good, pal.

It feels good, too.

Look how happy these guys are:

Ben has come under fire over the past two days, and took to Twitter today to, I think, make a joke:

To all the upset Springboks fans. I’m sorry I don’t think the side is as great as you all do right now. That’s just my opinion. Don’t get hung up on what others think. If you enjoying disagreeing, that’s fine. Just remember… if it’s all too much, simply back away, right @KP24? pic.twitter.com/VxFDoTYNKK

— Ben Smith (@bensmithrugby) August 11, 2021

We’ll be fine, Ben. We have 801 more days to enjoy being world champions, after all.

The Springboks play Argentina on Saturday, as the Rugby Championship kicks off, which means two shots at the All Blacks.

Both teams will be desperate to win, but no matter what happens, our men in green and gold have already achieved greatness.

[source:rugbypass]