Keohane says the Boks ignored substance for spectacle and paid the price as the Wallabies stunned Ellis Park, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane argues that the Springboks abandoned the DNA that makes them so difficult to beat, and instead played “exhibition rugby” that invited Australia’s greatest win on South African soil.
RASSIE: Boks were really dog s**t
Keohane describes the Ellis Park collapse as “rugby suicide”, insisting the Boks were “seduced by a spectacular and beautiful start” and failed to adjust when Manie Libbok’s intercepted pass turned momentum against them.
“The Wallabies scored 38 unanswered points in the most remarkable comeback in their history,” Keohane says, adding that Australia “refused to surrender” even when trailing 22-0 and produced a breakdown masterclass to leave the world champions “battered, bewildered and beaten.”
For Keohane, the defeat was not about refereeing calls but about a tactical approach that drifted from set-piece dominance and Test rugby substance. “They continued to play exhibition rugby when the match situation demanded a readjustment in approach,” he writes.
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