No Question: France Legend Hails Springboks Squad and Revealed Erasmus’ ‘biggest challenge’
Legendary France flanker Olivier Roumat has dubbed the current South Africa as the greatest Springboks team of all-time and highlighted Rassie Erasmus’ great challenge.
Roumat played over 60 Test matches for France with his son Alexandre Roumat following in his footsteps representing Toulouse and Les Bleus.
Roumat hails the Springboks
In the 58-year-old’s mind, there is no question whether this is the best Springboks team of all-time despite him fronting up against some of the greatest South African teams of old.
He was part of the French side that fell to a defeat to the Springboks in the 1995 Rugby World Cup semi-final and also faced Nick Mallet’s mighty Boks.
Still, the current era ranks as the best in his point of view.
“The Springboks are an extremely difficult team to deal with because of the strength of their forwards and the aggression with which they defend,” Roumat told the Rapport.
“This team is undoubtedly the best Bok team of all time. They are almost perfect with their formidable pack – in my opinion the best tight-five in the world – a rugged centre pairing and a brilliant back three.”
While he was full of praise for the current team, Roumat believes that Erasmus faces a massive challenge if South Africa are to complete the Rugby World Cup three-peat.
That is replacing the veteran players in the squad particularly those who played a crucial role in the 2019 and 2023 successes.
“The Boks’ biggest challenge before the next World Cup tournament in 2027 will be to replace the experience of forwards like Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi and Pieter-Steph du Toit,” he added.
We saw this with the All Blacks’ champion teams of 2011 and 2015, who struggled to maintain their invincibility following the departure of stars. Erasmus’ task is great in terms of the generational transition.”
Bomb Squad changes the course of the game
Meanwhile, the publication also spoke to ex-England and Lions flanker Mike Teague who praised the Springboks’ ability to win the tight matches pointing back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Teague was in attendance for the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks and says that from that point, South Africa have only gone from strength to strength.
“I was at Ellis Park in 1995 when Nelson Mandela walked onto the field in his number 6 jersey and, although the Boks were not given a chance against the All Blacks in that final, South Africa was suddenly so charged with emotion that one realised they would never lose,” he said.
“From there, the Springboks went from strength to strength, so much so that last year, under unbearable pressure, they were able to beat France, England and New Zealand by one point each time on their way to their fourth World Cup title.”
Teague believes that Erasmus’ tactics around the use of the bench and the famed ‘Bomb Squad’ has changed the course of international rugby.
South Africa turned the entire course of the game on its head with their infamous ‘Bomb Squad’, which once again underlines the traditional strength of Bok rugby,” he added.
“Their physical presence, their brute strength, puts the Boks in control and enables them to bully the opposition. Opponents struggle to live with that.”
