Eddie Jones has compared the Springboks to an “old boxer” after their split results against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship, warning that Rassie Erasmus’ side is showing signs of age.
Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, the former Bok advisor and current Japan coach said:
“Rassie went to the young guys in the first Test and he thought they could do the job. But they’ve still got some development to do in those young players. So he went back to the older players in the second Test. It was like an old boxer in the ring. You know, he had enough craft about his profession to win the game, and that’s what they did.”
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Jones believes that while South Africa’s seasoned stars can still deliver big performances, their consistency is beginning to slip.
“The South African side is now in their ninth year of being together and they’ve obviously got an ageing issue – some of their best players are probably at the lower end of their careers. It’s not to say they can’t keep going and those older players can play some excellent games, but their consistency starts to drop off and the gap between their best performance and their worst performance gets bigger.”
The 65-year-old contrasted the Springboks’ trajectory with Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies, who he says are steadily building depth and maturity.
“You’ve got an Australian team now in their second year under Joe Schmidt. They’re starting to develop some consistency. They’ve got some very good young players coming through and some young players who now have accumulated 20 or 30 Tests. So they’re starting to get used to that Test environment and starting to have a consistency about their performance.”
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But while Jones was critical of South Africa’s ageing curve, he was full of praise for centre Damian de Allende, who he rated as one of the best players on the field against the Wallabies.
“De Allende comes out there on Saturday and I thought he was one of the best players on the field. I thought his influence was massive … his ability to straighten the line, his breakdown work is significantly better than any other centre in the world. He’s absolutely outstanding and I thought South Africa won the breakdown.”
The Boks are now preparing for a do-or-die clash against the All Blacks at Eden Park, where New Zealand’s 30-year unbeaten record is on the line.
Photo: World Rugby
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