Boks sweep IRB awards 2004
Brad Morgan
29 November 2004
The Springboks' revival received recognition from the International Rugby Board (IRB) as South Africa's national team made a sweep of the big awards at the IRB awards evening in London on Sunday. It was the crowning achievement of a season that saw a massive turnaround in the fortunes of the Boks.
The Springboks were named IRB international team of the year, Schalk Burger picked up the international player of the year award, and Jake White was named international coach of the year.
2004 certainly provided a massive turnaround in the fortunes of South African rugby, which had fallen into disillusionment following a disappointing showing at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Rudolf Straeuli was axed as Bok coach, and the appointment of Jake White as his replacement turned out to be a masterstroke.
Quick turnaround
Under the former South African under-21 coach, the Springboks showed a quick turnaround in terms of
discipline, which had become a serious concern under Straeuli, often costing South Africa points and games. With it came a more focused approach, and good results followed.
In the Boks' first action of 2004, Triple Crown winners Ireland were beaten in South Africa, 31-17 in the first test and 26-17 in the second test. Wales were crushed 53-18, and a game Pacific Island team was beaten 38-24.
Playing away from home at the start of the Tri-Nations, South Africa lost two nail-biters, 21-23 against New Zealand and 30-26 against Australia. At home, however, the Boks raced to a 40-26 win over the All Blacks and edged out the Wallabies 23-19 to capture only their second Tri-Nations' title, their first since 1998.
Long season
Then followed a tour of the United Kingdom (still to be followed by a test against Argentina) in which the demands of a ridiculously long season seemed to catch up to the Boks. Wales were beaten 38-36, but Ireland downed
South Africa 17-12 in a controversial game, and world champions England were clearly better than the Tri-Nations' champions in a 32-16 win.
New blood was introduced for a Murrayfield showdown against Scotland, and those players responded well in a 45-10 romp.
That left the Springboks' record for 2004 at eights wins and four defeats while facing all the world's highest ranked teams with the exception of France. South Africa's record in 2003 was seven wins and five losses, which included victories over lesser lights such as Samoa, Georgia and Uruguay.
A good rugby team
The revival, though, was about more than results on the field. Once one of the world's elite rugby playing nations, South Africa had become viewed by many as nothing more than bully boys who used physical, intimidating, often dirty, rugby to beat lesser teams, and resorted to foul tactics when overrun by better sides.
The 2004 Springbok side earned South Africa
praise as a good rugby nation once again.
Respect was the key word being bandied about as the 2004 season progressed, and the Springboks suddenly became hot property again. The mood of South African rugby fans rocketed - highlighted by a passionate victory in the Tri-Nations' decider against Australia in Durban - and other international teams and supporters showed that they, too, welcomed a winning Springbok team that played good, positive, attractive rugby.
Much of the credit for the turnaround should go to White and captain John Smit. It is clear that the players are confident about where they stand with White, something that could not be said when Straeuli was in charge.
And on the field of play, Smit has provided a calming influence, which has helped foster the more focused approach of a team that has in recent years been very talented, but without a plan.
Schalk Burger
The player that made the greatest difference to the
Springboks' revival was flanker Schalk Burger. One couldn't miss his input, because his blond mane seemed to be everywhere the ball was, flying into one crunching tackle after another, bouncing back up to his feet, and turning the ball over.
He was the best player of the Tri-Nations' competition, and it should be noted who he was up against - top players such as George Smith, Phil Waugh, Marty Holah and Richie McCaw. That he managed to dominate games despite the attention of those players speaks volumes for his incredible workrate and incredible impact.
"Schalk's emergence as a major force has meant a lot to South African rugby, but has also influenced world rugby", said coach White.
Working wonders
White was the man pulling the strings of the show. Unlike so many Springbok coaches of recent times, who ruled by fear, White set about winning the confidence of the players early on, giving them a clear perspective of what he saw as their
role in South African rugby, where they could improve, and encouraging their input as well. It worked wonders.
Not afraid to blood youngsters, White also turned to a number of veterans to right the Springbok ship. On the IRB website he commented: "From the start I wanted to strike the right balance, and so far we've achieved that.
"From coaching just about every age level of South African rugby, I've seen most of the new players before, and wanted to bring through the likes of Burger and Du Preez. By the same token I wanted to bring back players who could bring value, such as Monty (Percy Montgomery) and Os (Os du Randt)."
Now, enthusiasm for Springbok rugby is on the up and up, not only in the rainbow nation, but also abroad, and that is possibly the greatest achievement of the players of 2004, maybe greater than winning the big three categories at the IRB Awards.
| 
