The behind-the-scenes documentary covers the Springboks’ World Cup success last year and the four episodes so far have been riveting, with one more to come. The latest chapter does more for the reputation of scrummaging than anything we’ve come across.
This is not far off an in-house job, of course. Rassie Erasmus himself is one of the executive producers. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t utterly compelling. It also doesn’t mean that the series won’t draw the Springboks closer to each and every South African who views it. Even if you’re not South African, you can’t help but come away from this with increased admiration for the Boks.
The first series of Chasing the Sun, which documented the 2019 World Cup victory, was brilliant but the second Things have become much better thanks to installments.
The claim that it’s among the best rugby documentaries ever produced isn’t hyperbole—it offers more insight into elite rugby than anything we’ve ever seen. To give the Springboks credit, things aren’t all sunshine and flowers.
See the aftermath of the Springboks’ pool-stage loss to Ireland. At their next team meeting, Erasmus takes a sharp jab at his players. He signals for lock Eben Etzebeth, captain Siya Kolisi, and powerful number eight Duane Vermeulen. After Erasmus chastises them for “your head getting bigger than your ability,” the players actually appear to be afraid for their chance to start in the quarterfinal.
The footage around that Ireland game is riveting. It was a surprise to see Erasmus showing his players clips of pundits in Ireland, namely Matt Williams and Andy Dunne on Off the Ball, speaking about them before the teams gathered in Paris. If we believed that this type of traditional material was over, we were mistaken. The clips, according to Bongi Mbonambi and Pieter-Steph du Toit, made them “f**king angry.”
The extent of Erasmus’s pain from the pool-stage loss to Ireland is evident. You get even more eager for his two-Test series in South Africa this summer after seeing him lose it.
The majority of this series presents the Springboks in the best possible light, but there are plenty of positive aspects to notice because they are excellent rugby players. Especially prior to the Scotland match, we are brought inside the room for selection discussions and opponent analysis.
We’re on the training pitch as Erasmus blasts ‘La Marseillaise’ so his players are prepared for what’s to come in their quarter-final against France.
But we’re also back in South Africa, in the villages and on the farms where these Springboks players grew up. We’re in the kitchen with their parents and aunts and uncles, hearing about the genuinely humble circumstances from which many of them rose. At times, the emotion is palpable.
The emotion is visceral within the team environment too. Take the incredible footage of Mbonambi coming back into the largely empty changing room after their semi-final win against England. He breaks down into sobbing weeping. After Jacques Nienaber consoles him, Mbonambi gives Erasmus a hug.
We’re now having the most candid conversations about the physicality the Springboks hope to bring, as well as some quite rough scrum exercises. Normally a reserved man, du Toit lashes out at his teammates to get going against England as we are in the halftime team huddle.
One of the series’ highlights is Felix Jones of Ireland, who provides us with a wealth of information on how he came to be such an important member of the Springboks lineup. Not only does he obviously comprehend the technical aspects of the game and its analysis, but he also demonstrates a clear awareness of its combative aspects.
The Boks don’t give everything away but they have been happy to share plenty of the tactical rugby stuff that we don’t get much of in the public sphere.
The series skillfully weaves the personal stories of players into the absorbing overall story of their collective World Cup journey. It’s not an easy thing to do and sometimes, these kind of documentaries lack rhythm in this regard. Chasing the Sun 2 nails the pacing, taking us from the heart of the World Cup camp back to South Africa at just the appropriate times. It is touching to see the scenes of happiness at the Boks’ exploits back home in South Africa.
We could mention a ton of other subtleties that make it a unique presentation, but the joy lies in finding them for oneself. With just one more episode to go, Chasing the Sun 2 doesn’t have many boring scenes.
After a while, the first season of Chasing the Sun was made available worldwide, and there are rumors that the second season is about to be released in the UK and Ireland. There will be a wait, but it will be well worth it. This is the genre’s masterwork.
