What makes South Africa the ‘mentality monsters’ of rugby

Pieter-Steph du Toit, the formidable Springboks flanker, is renowned as a man of momentous deeds rather than words. But his quip at the final whistle of the 2023 World Cup final was perfectly understated.

“I guess as a team we like the drama,” he explained. South Africa had just edged out New Zealand 12-11 in Paris, completing a remarkable hat-trick of one-point wins to secure successive tournament victories. France were ousted 29-28 a fortnight previously, before England went down 16-15 in the semi-final.

Rugby union is a sport of fine margins where pivotal moments hinge on grey areas governed by the interpretation of referees. And yet, that extraordinary knockout run would suggest the Springboks have learnt to emerge on the right side of the tightest situations. England, conversely, are establishing a more damaging habit of fading away from strong positions.

South Africa possess many desirable assets as a team: immense experience, cohesion, depth and a destructive scrum. All of these are traits that Steve Borthwick is aiming to develop.

Still, notwithstanding tight losses to Ireland and Argentina already this year, as the side aims to unearth new players and embed bold tactics, the Springboks remain exceptionally resilient.

Here, on the verge of autumn when they will face Scotland, England and Wales, they articulate the intangible aspects that allow them to thrive when the stakes are highest.

The Springboks’ secret to success

Rassie Eramus, head coach/director of rugby: “When you get a coaching or management team around you, you get the right guys on the bus and then you can talk a certain way with them and they’ll understand. Over time, you can tell the guys that they’re going to come off that field and have no regrets.

“Trust me, I was there in 1999 [as a player] for Steven Larkham’s drop-goal [when Australia beat South Africa in the World Cup semi-final]. I was there [as a coach] in 2011 when we lost to Australia in the quarter-final and I knew that team could have won the World Cup.

“The biggest thing you cannot have after a World Cup play-off match is regret. When Kurt-Lee [Arendse] knocked on the ball against England [in the 2023 World Cup semi-final] in our own 22, we all go: ‘Oh f---, he dropped it, the game is said and done.’ No. We could get a penalty from the scrum, we could kick it out and we could have a go again. I think the team lives on [the mantra] that we don’t want to have regrets.”

Siya Kolisi, flanker and captain: “Our mentality is that it’s not over until it’s over. That’s our mindset the whole time. We always promise that we will give everything. Chasing lost causes – if someone is going to score, you don’t stop until he puts the ball down. Cheslin [Kolbe] chasing the kick [against France to charge down Thomas Ramos’ conversion].

“Those are things that you can’t train – you have to want to do it or it is in your culture. Some teams maybe don’t have that sort of attitude. Our mentality is that we will fight for every inch, to jump on every ball that is on the floor. A game is not won in one moment. All the moments add up, and it’s about how many of those you win in a game.”

Damian de Allende, inside centre: “It’s believing in each other, in the coaches and, especially, in the game plan. You can go on the field and have the best plan, but that on its own cannot win you a Test match. You have to have the right guys around you and trusting in it without derailing off task. Then it becomes very simple. Rugby is an extremely physical sport. If someone runs over you three times, your game plan goes out the window.”

Eben Etzebeth, lock: “That’s a difficult one to answer! It was unheard of to win three in a row by one point. Obviously, you need a good goal-kicker. Handré [Pollard] was exceptional and Manie [Libbok] also played his part.

“But then you need belief. At 15-6 down against England, with a scrum in our own 22, a lot of fans – probably a lot of players and management, too and maybe everyone except who was on the field – might have thought it was a hurdle too far. It needed belief from guys who had been to dark places before in their lives, who had struggled and had not had it easy.

“You need some guts. You need guys to have been through difficult times to come out on top when it really gets tough to pull it out of the fire.

“Before Test matches, especially against certain opponents, we will talk about how they will come to dark places with us and it will be about who can stay there the longest, so we do mention [our upbringings] from time to time. That’s one part of it and with that comes preparation, knowing our detail and keeping on believing because we’re playing for the jersey and for our nation.”

Ox Nché, loosehead prop: “I think it’s the desperation to work for each other off the ball. If I’ve just come from a scrum and the ball is on the other side of the field, I have to sprint into line even if the ball-carrier is far away from me. It’s that urgency, no matter how far away the ball is, to get onside and get into position before the other team does.

“As Rassie has said, that’s one reason why the ball tends to bounce our way. You’re aware of that in the moment, definitely. As props, we are the ones filling the space in the midfield. You always try not to be last.”

Etzebeth: “As a forward pack, we say that we always try to make the other guys look good. If I’m contesting a line-out, for example, there will be two people lifting me. There will always be players who don’t get credit. But you know they were there. A lot of actions in a game can’t be measured. A big thing for us is to give our all to those.”

Kolisi: “The environment that we have here, we have a lot of competition amongst each other, but it’s so positive. It’s all about the team. It’s all about what the team wants to achieve, and then your own personal goals come second to that.

So if I get chosen for a game against Tom Curry, every other loose forward that plays in the position will do their best to act like Tom Curry [in training]; going to breakdowns, the way he tackles and all that kind of stuff. And when I’m not playing, it’s the same.

“Yes, we all want to play. I’ll be sad [if I’m not selected], but I have to get over it by the time I get to the pitch. And that’s what I love about this group, is that anybody can be chosen. You will be sad for a moment, but you get over it, because we all know at the end of the day when we win, everybody’s going to drink out of that cup.”