2024 Review: Ranking The Springboks’ Performances

Quintin van Jaarsveld looks back at the Springboks’ season and ranks their performance in each Test from worst to best.

The Boks had a banner 2024. They claimed their first Rugby Championship title in five years, won the Qatar Airways Cup, Mandela Challenge Plate, Freedom Cup and Prince William Cup, completed an unbeaten UK tour for the first time in 11 years and finished the season at the top of the world rankings with 11 wins out of 13 games.

Here’s a rundown of the Boks’ performances, from the least to most impressive.

13: 29-28 loss to Argentina in Santiago del Estero, 21 September

The Boks were left kicking themselves after missing a shot to wrap up the Rugby Championship title as they suffered a shock defeat to Argentina.

The Boks were clinical in racing to a 17-point lead before the pendulum swung in favour of the Pumas, who scored 26 unanswered points, 12 of which came while Kurt-Lee Arendse was in the sin bin for a high tackle. South Africa were finally able to stop the bleeding with a Cobus Reinach try just before halftime to go into the break trailing 26-24.

In stark contrast to the first half, which produced seven tries, the second half was a cagey affair that saw neither side cross the whitewash. The Boks conceded just three more points and scored six via the boots of Handre Pollard and his replacement Manie Libbok.

In the end, Libbok had an opportunity to win the game – and the Rugby Championship – for the Boks but missed a straight-forward late kick at goal as the Pumas celebrated a famous win over the back-to-back world champions.

12: 25-24 loss to Ireland in Durban, 13 July

The power of Ox Nche and precision of Handre Pollard weren’t enough for the Boks as Ireland snatched a dramatic victory at the death to square the two-Test series.

It was a bloodbath at Kings Park with Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert wearing crimson masks while on Ireland’s end, Andrew Porter and Jack Crowley were busted open.

It was the Boks who came off second best in the physical exchanges in the first half, losing Willie le Roux and Mostert to injury, and they found themselves trailing 16-6 at halftime.

Ireland’s discipline and resolve were tested in the second half as the Boks came on strong. A yellow card for Irish captain Caelan Doris helped the hosts chip away and hit the front for the first time in the 57th minute.

It was tight for the remainder of the game with replacement flyhalf Ciaran Frawley landing two drop goals to secure just the second-ever win for Ireland over the Boks on South African soil.

11 29-20 win over England in London, 16 November

Cheslin Kolbe dazzled as the Boks triumph over a feisty England outfit.

England struck early before the Boks took control and outscored the hosts by three tries to two in a frenetic first half. The men in Green and Gold headed into the sheds leading 19-17, a scoreline England would’ve taken, given South Africa’s sharpness and physical dominance.

Both teams had a try chalked off early in the second half, England took the lead with a 52nd-minute penalty goal, but it was short-lived as Handre Pollard, who’d replaced Manie Libbok, nailed a brilliant long-range three-pointer before Man of the Match Kolbe cantered in a converted try – his second of the contest – to give the Boks some breathing room.

A yellow card to replacement prop Gerhard Steenekamp in the 69th minute made for a tense finale. However, the Boks stood strong while England faltered in the big moments, a combination that saw Siya Kolisi and company home by nine points.

10: 45-12 win over Wales in Cardiff, 23 November

Kurt-Lee Arendse was pure class as the Boks completed their first end-of-year clean sweep since 2013 by walloping Wales in their season finale.

It was all South Africa from the kick-off with the back-to-back world champions scoring four unanswered tries. Wales finally made their first entry into the attacking 22 in the 36th minute and scored with the final play of the first half, giving them a shred of encouragement with the scoreboard reading 26-5.

The Boks stayed in control, but the expected shift into a higher gear didn’t occur. It took 14 minutes for them to open the scoring in the second half, and they added two more tries, with Wales scoring a consolation try as Rassie Erasmus’ men ended their season with a dominant, if not clinical, win.

9: 41-13 win over Wales in London, 22 June

Edwill van der Merwe had a debut to savour as the Boks started their season with a thumping win over Wales at Twickenham.

In action for the first time since completing back-to-back World Cup triumphs in France last year, the Boks shot out of the blocks with two quick tries before losing their shape to lead 14-13 at the break.

The men in Green and Gold struggled with disjointedness but were nonetheless dominant in the second half, adding three tries and shutting out the Dragons to win comfortably and retain the Qatar Airways Cup. 

8: 18-12 win over New Zealand in Cape Town, 7 September

Senior players stood up as the Boks beat the All Blacks 18-12 in a cracking clash to put one hand on the Rugby Championship trophy and clinch the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.

Senior players stood up as the Boks beat the All Blacks 18-12 in a cracking clash to put one hand on the Rugby Championship trophy and clinch the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.

They cleaned up their act in the second half and played more direct to outscore the All Blacks by two tries to none. Courageous captain Siya Kolisi and Malcolm Marx, who brought stability to the lineouts, were the men who dotted down as the Boks made history by securing four wins in the row over their arch-rivals for the first time in the professional era.

7: 64-21 win over Portugal in Bloemfontein, 20 July

Makazole Mapimpi scored a hat-trick as the Boks pummelled Portugal in their historic one-off Test in the City of Roses.

An overhauled South African side led by new captain Salmaan Moerat and featuring seven uncapped players were too strong for Os Lobos, running in 10 tries to three to comfortably clinch the first-ever meeting between the nations despite losing Andre Esterhuizen to a red card in the second minute.

6: 32-15 win over Scotland in Edinburgh, 10 November

Eben Etzebeth led from the front as the Boks kicked off their end-of-year tour with a comfortable win over a spirited Scotland side at Murrayfield.

The men in Green and Gold made several elementary mistakes but scored three unanswered tries to lead 19-9 at halftime, with the hosts having shown good fight after being down a man for 20 minutes following a red card to Scott Cummings for what was deemed a croc roll.

The game Scots reduced the deficit to 19-15 with 20 minutes to go, however, the back-to-back World Cup winners – with their experience, quality off the bench, dominant scrum, and ability to scramble in defence when double try-scorer Makazole Mapimpi was in the sin bin – closed out the match like the champion side they are.

Ultimately, the visitors outscored the hosts by four tries to none to seal a victory that saw them return to the summit of the world rankings.

5: 30-12 win over Australia in Perth, 17 August

Pieter-Steph du Toit starred as the Boks overpowered the Wallabies 30-12 in a wet Perth to win back-to-back Tests Down Under for the first time since 1971.

The South Africans were disjointed in the first half, with the challenging conditions not helping either side. Their lineout struggled, while they squandered two early try-scoring opportunities. Despite this, they led 11-9 at halftime with Aphelele Fassi scoring the only try of the first frame.

With Australian captain Allan Alaalatoa and James Slipper picking up injuries, the Boks were robbed of a big weapon as scrums became uncontested. The driving maul came to the fore and produced three tries, one for Marco van Staden and two for Malcolm Marx as the Boks continued their perfect start to the Rugby Championship. 

4: 31-27 win over New Zealand in Johannesburg, 31 August

A rabid and rambunctious Kwagga Smith was the spark that ignited a fiery comeback as the Boks claimed a thrilling win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

The much-anticipated clash of the titans, a repeat of last year’s World Cup final in France, lived up to the hype with both teams bringing peak intensity and physicality.

The Boks started on the back foot and trailed most of the match. Down 12-11 at halftime, the back-to-back world champions trailed 27-17 with less than 12 minutes remaining.

Digging deep, they poured it on with tries by Smith and Grant Williams seeing South Africa complete a cracking comeback to cement their spot at the top of the Rugby Championship table and make it three wins in a row over their arch-rivals for the first time since 2009.

3: 27-20 win over Ireland in Pretoria, 6 July

Jesse Kriel showed his class as the Boks scored their first win over Ireland since 2016 in an almighty battle at Loftus Versfeld. The clash of champions was as physically intense and tight as expected with the world champion Boks triumphing over the Six Nations winners, who refused to go away.

The hosts played with greater width, the influence of new attack coach Tony Brown, with mixed results and ultimately had a moment of magic from Cheslin Kolbe and the power of the feared “Bomb Squad” to thank for ending their drought against the Irish.

2: 33-7 win over Australia in Brisbane, 10 August

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu seized his first starting opportunity as the Boks emphatically ended their Brisbane hoodoo in the opening Test of the Rugby Championship.

The back-to-back world champions well and truly annihilated Australia, proving far too powerful, slick and experienced for Joe Schmidt’s men despite conceding three yellow cards in the final quarter.

The Boks led 21-0 at halftime and ultimately outscored the hosts by five tries to one to record only their second victory at Suncorp Stadium, 11 years after their maiden triumph at the venue, and get their campaign off to the perfect start.

1: 48-7 win over Argentina in Nelspruit, 28 September

The sensational Pieter-Steph du Toit spearheaded the charge as the Boks romped to victory in the Rugby Championship decider.

In their final home game of the season and Eben Etzebeth’s record 128th appearance, the Boks put on a show for their beloved fans, running in seven tries and conceding just one against an outclassed Argentinian side to win their fifth Rugby Championship crown and their first since 2019.