It was interesting to hear Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber mention, in the aftermath of the 27-13 win over England, that the November tour had been “the most enjoyable four weeks, despite the fact we’ve only won 50% of our games”.
I can fully understand why.
The Boks had lost 19-16 to Ireland and 30-26 to France, and then smashed Italy 63-21 and toyed with England at times at Twickenham.
“I thought in terms of the working relationship between the coaching staff, performance staff, and the players, I thought there was clarity and we gelled well,” Nienaber continued.
“Although we didn’t get results in the first two games of the tour, I thought we were in with a chance.
“We were creative with the plans we made, stuck with them, and…