The Springboks aim to “fire some shots” next season and may take “an uppercut or two” in order to get their long term plans ready for the defence of their World Cup title in Australia in 2027.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said in reaction to the draw that while the hard work and planning would start now, the Boks also have the Greatest Rivalry tour with potential quarterfinal opponents New Zealand next season as well as the first year of the new Nations Cup to navigate.
While the Boks have done wonders to mix and match this year and have the depth of two teams that can play in any conditions, that may come in handy next season as they go through the new competitions, but whatever team they pick will now be focused on the long term ambition of retaining the Webb Ellis Cup in 2027.
WORLD CUP A PRIORITY
Erasmus said on Thursday he wasn’t sure yet how the team would navigate the 2026 season as whatever they do will need to be for long term success and not short term trophies.
“It's a new competition, the Nations Cup. It's something that's in there.I can tell you that we are trying to build our team and be a really competitive team who can win it in 2027. But you can lose that sort of favourite tag very quickly if you have a bad year the year before the World Cup. So I don't think the team has ever responded negatively to pressure.
“Hopefully, that form doesn't dry up before we get to the World Cup. But I don't think tags, favourites or underdogs bother us this time. I think when we get into the tournament, it might. Or we might not even be favourites then.
Erasmus said the tough prospect for his management team was the planning to ensure the Boks don’t lose their edge, but are at their peak when the World Cup arrives.
“That's a tough thing to actually pinpoint and say exactly how you're going to do it. We’ve got the Nations Cup, we've got the Greatest Rivalry tour next year.
“We've got a new competition, the Nations Cup, where you're going to have tables and you play against England, Wales and Scotland in July. And then at the end of year tour, you play three matches and then you play a semifinal and a final. So it will be the first time that we play that in a season.
NATIONS CUP MAY TAKE A BACK SEAT
“It's going to sound funny, but I probably must prioritize what you want to try and do next year. Of course, obviously, you want to try and win every single game. But will it be the end of the world if you don't win the Nations Cup?
“If you've really lost the game here and there?. And my head is more towards not chasing the Nations Cup and then not being ready for 2027. That's how I feel here today at the moment.
“And that's why your question is very relevant. I'm not 100 per cent sure, but the World Cup is 18 months out. I think you must start focusing on the World Cup.”
Erasmus added that the Boks don’t want to be “punch drunk” by the time they get to Australia.
“It's difficult. I think the thing is, the moment you try to win every game, let's say this year was a game, a season where we played all the matches we played, and we were playing for a cup when we played. Of course, the Nations Cup is almost a Tier 1 World Cup, if you think about it, in my opinion.
PUNCH DRUNK
“So yeah, you don't want to be punch drunk next year, December, November, and you want to make sure your players who you can pick for the next year can win. So I don't think we'll take up any game lightly, but I think we will be willing to take a few shots and maybe an uppercut here and say, okay, guys, we've rolled the dice here, but world ranking isn't important this year.
"Would you rather be in a year before the World Cup, lift the Nations Cup trophy, or be ready for the World Cup?
“So that's a difficult thing to handle. And then obviously, the Greatest Rivalry starts next year. That's massive for us as well. So we've got two massive competitions we're playing next year. So I'm not sure how to answer that directly today.”
The next phase in planning can only start when the Boks receive their base venue and the venues for their games at the tournament.