Former Springboks lock Bakkies Botha says that the All Blacks team are no longer the benchmark in international rugby after South Africa’s dominance under Rassie Erasmus.
Botha admits that during his playing days, he would “measure” himself against the Boks’ biggest rivals but says that is no longer the case for the current Springboks team, who have won back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles and a British and Irish Lions series.
South Africa are currently on a record winning streak against their fiercest rivals, having claimed victories over the men from Aotearoa in London, Paris, Johannesburg and Cape Town in the last 24 months.
“It’s always tough there”
However, they face a challenging task in 2025 as they will take on the All Blacks at their fortress, Eden Park, in the Rugby Championship as well as in Wellington.
Botha, who won eight of his 15 Test matches against New Zealand, believes that Erasmus’ side will improve on their record at Eden Park – a venue the Springboks last won in 1937 – next year as he believes that the Bok team is “just too good” and the All Blacks are not the force they once were.
“It’s always tough there against the All Blacks,” Botha told the Rapport.
“But when I look at today’s teams, Rassie’s Boks are just too good. They are simply in a different class and that makes it incredibly fun to be a Bok supporter these days.
“On top of that, and I say this with all due respect, the All Blacks are no longer what they were 10 or 15 years ago.”
Springboks must challenge each other
As a player, Botha won the Rugby World Cup with the Springboks in 2007 but was hugely successful in club rugby too, winning multiple titles with the Bulls and Toulon. The ex-forward said that he always wanted to test himself against the best in the world and during his playing career that was the All Blacks, but he thinks that is no longer the case.
“I always wanted to measure myself against the best, it was the All Blacks,” he continued.
“They had the best players in the world in every position for a number of years. At this stage, however, I don’t what the Boks can test themselves against. They challenge each other more than anything else.”
