The Springboks were their own worst enemies at Eden Park, but a reset to their DNA of power, set piece dominance and defence can spark a turnaround in Wellington, writes MARK KEOHANE.

Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says the Boks’ defeat in Auckland was all the more painful because it was avoidable, with Rassie Erasmus selecting a conservative 5-3 bench split that blunted their usual punch.

He argues that Erasmus, so often a disruptor and innovator, has looked uncharacteristically restrained this season.

“He has been like the naughty boy at school doing up his middle button, never challenging the teacher, never sneaking out 10 minutes before the break, and accepting the view of those outside the camp.”

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Keohane contrasts this with the honesty Erasmus showed in his first year in charge in 2018, when results were mixed but selections were clear and the message was always about winning, not long-term cycles.

“They started to win Test matches because winning creates a habit,” he explains.

The Eden Park performance, though, betrayed that identity.

“You only have to study the Boks’ 12-11 World Cup final win in 2023 against the All Blacks in Paris, France, to know how far the Boks have veered from this formula,” he writes, noting how Pieter-Steph du Toit dominated that night but was anonymous in Auckland.

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Keohane believes the solution is not complexity but clarity.

“To win in Wellington he doesn’t have to be any of those things. He just must be true to the basics of the game, to a strong Boks set piece, a functioning lineout, an intelligent kicking game and an aggressive defence. Simplicity is the solution.”

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The Eden Park loss, he says, “hurts more because of the quality of these Boks.”

While they can’t recover that result, they can reclaim their identity in Wellington if Erasmus reverts to the formula that has always defined Springbok success.

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Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images