‘Monster tour’ ahead for Boks, warns Smit

THE battle for the Rugby World Cup 2023 will start in earnest in November when the Southern Hemisphere’s contenders travel to Europe to gauge themselves against the big boys of the north.

With this year’s Rugby Championship now consigned to the record books, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand will cast their focus and resolve onto the Home Unions, France and Italy.

The Boks came desperately close to winning the Championship, but inconsistencies in their game plan and game management saw them ultimately fall short of claiming the crown.

In retrospect, they were only one win away from claiming the title, and will rue slipping up against the All Blacks in Johannesburg, and an extremely poor performance against the Wallabies in Adelaide.

Nonetheless, they will now have to put those disappointments behind them because from early November, they have a massive task at hand. Ireland awaits on November 5, a week later they face France.

The Boks then travel to Italy before finishing off their tour at Twickenham against England on November 26.

Ireland and France are ranked first and second, respectively, by World Rugby’s rankings, while England are fifth in those standings.

These three nations will be among the favourites to lift the World Cup next year in France.

“It is a monster tour,” the former Bok captain admitted.

“It is the first sort of punch in a World Cup year. It is really the last opportunity to show where everyone stands.”

It might be a mammoth task that stands before Jacques Nienaber and his charges, but Smit – who led the Boks to World Cup glory in 2007 – believes it won't be the be-all and end-all.

Instead, the 44-year-old reckons that it will be crucial that the Boks learn invaluable lessons, while remaining ambitious in their execution.

“For this current Springbok team,” he opined, “this tour is going to be incredibly important.

“I don’t think it is vital to have a clean sweep and smash everyone, but I do think we need to knock off one or two of the ‘big three’ and be competitive in all of our matches.

“The last thing we need is to be blown away by a contender from the north.”

Smit made his comments on Thursday at the announcement that the Hollywood Foundation will sponsor the Under-15 iQhawe Week.

It will be held at the Johannesburg Stadium next week, starting on October 3.