COMMENT BY MORGAN BOLTON
The moniker of any great team is to stare adversity in the face, take the heavy blows it throws as it attempts to beat you down, stand up bloodied, proud in defiance, and then show them what you are truly made of.
Take, for example, the Springboks now just a year and a day or two ago.
In the cauldron of the Stade de France, adversity had the look of 23 determined Frenchmen adorned in their finest Les Bleus, the Gallic rooster superciliously displayed on their jerseys, staring down their visitors as a heavily partisan 80 000-plus crowd frothed at their mouth in anticipation of victory.
Lest we forget, the French started that quarter-final at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Paris drunk on the fervour of manifest destiny, a berserker rage driving them forward as they besieged the Bok 22.
Between my TV room and passage, there is a thread of worry ingrained into my wooden floors from the angst of that initial onslaught.
But then, that Bok team would prove to be one of the greats. With steely resolve, they weathered whatever the French could conjure up, and becalmed the crowd.
No matter how many punches were thrown their way, and how many landed, they kept standing up, refusing to be dictated to.
They wrote their own destiny that night through clever plays, commitment to themselves and an unwavering belief that they would be victorious, despite the picture that had been presented to them.
They would eventually win the clash 29-28 – arguably some of the finest rugby seen this century – and a few weeks later, after beating England 16-15 and New Zealand 12-11, lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
This past weekend, we saw shades of it when the Lions beat the Dragons, although admittedly they have many a victory and defeat yet to go before reaching the level of the Boks.
It might seem unfair to compare Bafana Bafana to the Boks, but after watching the national team in their return Afcon qualifier against Congo Brazzaville earlier this week, I think it is reasonable to declare that Hugo Broos’ team – at this moment – still lack that mental fortitude.
Broos has made some important strides as Bafana coach, but he continues to be frustrated by his players’ inability to overcome tough and testing conditions.
During the initial exchanges on Tuesday night, South Africa were in full control.
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— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) October 16, 2024
Bafana Bafana and Congo played to a 1⃣➖1⃣ in their #AFCONQ2025 Group K encounter in Brazzaville!#SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/rPWsgSjV4F
They enjoyed both possession and territory, and had the better of their hosts. There was an impression it was only a matter of when, and not if, they would open the scoring.
They duly did when Elias Mokwana wrestled his way past the Congolese goalkeeper to score.
From this armchair view, it seemed that Bafana believed that they could defend that lead, playing a more passive role after hitting the back of the net.
So, when Mons Bassouamina rocketed in a disallowed goal – much to the chagrin of the home support – and then equalised a few minutes later, they were shocked into passivity by the ferocious glee of Brazzaville.
For certainly the crowd was hostile, the conditions equally so, and Bafana seemed unable to recover their wits after that setback. They lost their rhythm and intent, and that will surely have infuriated the Belgium-born coach.
For Bafana to take the next step in their development, it is these types of matches that they must work even harder at to claim a win. Instead, they seemed to go limp.
Bafana have done so many good things since 2021, but if they are to become a great team, a championship-winning team, then this undiscovered country, this valley of uncertainty, must be conquered.