Mike Greenaway: Springbok fans ask only for some pride

Opinion

The possibility of a Springbok victory over the All Blacks tonight has not been seriously considered by South Africans.

The question of who was going to win this match died in Brisbane last week and the major talking point subsequently has been that John Smit's Springboks do not again let down their country.

The method employed by the Springboks last week was distressing enough, but the manner in which the team capitulated has caused a public uproar that has gathered momentum rather than waned as the week has progressed.

The 49-0 rout is not the first time the Boks have copped a big smack - the All Blacks put 50 on them in Pretoria in 2003 and England did the same at Twickenham in 2002 - but this latest hiding has hurt more because it generally was not expected.

The Boks under Jake White were supposed to have put their woes behind them after winning the Tri-Nations in 2004 and coming close last year.

In truth, approaching calamity was not that heavily disguised for those who looked carefully enough.

In the June test matches against Scotland and France the players looked distracted. The urgency with which they played under White in 2004 and last year had disappeared and so too had the enjoyment - the smiles and the backslapping had gone.

We will not again go into the many factors, many of them uniquely South African, that caused the players to take their eye off the ball and for White to make no secret of the fact that he was seeking employment in England.

Suffice to say that the squad departed for Australia with morale critically undermined.

The many critics glibly claim that once the players pull on the green and gold jersey, anything that has preceded that should no longer matter.

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work like that. Confidence cannot be switched on and off and nor can collective morale.

Subconsciously, the Boks knew they were going to lose against the Wallabies, they knew they were not up for the match, but this week they could not be more conscious.

The fall-out after last week's performance has been spectacular even by South Africa's hysterical standards and the Springboks will have cringed as their laptops delivered the scathing reports.

The demands for White's resignation have come from the man in the pub right up to Government ministers, with a host of prominent former Springboks joining in along the way.

Above all, the Boks' supporters have demanded that they do their jersey and its heritage justice.

There is acceptance that seven days is not enough to engineer a miracle.

The Boks have not won in New Zealand since 1998.

There is an understanding here that if the Boks are going to win away against the All Blacks, then the Bok team must be of excellent vintage and must play exceptionally well against an All Black team in crisis.

This is not a good Bok team and the All Blacks are in great shape.

Which brings us back to the issue of playing with pride.

That is all that is asked, not demanded, of the Boks.

* Mike Greenaway is chief rugby writer for the Natal Mercury in Durban