Former Scotland coach Matt Williams says the Springboks are “head and shoulders above everyone right now”.
Speaking on news, the outspoken Australian said the world champions’ 32-17 win over France in Paris was evidence of a side that has evolved beyond its traditional power game.
“They’re a team that can do anything,” he said. “What they’ve added is the incredible dimension of a dynamic running and passing game.
I’ve said for years, if South Africa add that to their repertoire, no one in the world will stop them, because they are head and shoulders above everyone right now.”
Williams, who has often criticised the Boks’ Bomb Squad and forward-heavy tactics, admitted he was stunned by the balance and tempo of their performance.
This is an exceptional South Africa, playing the best rugby I’ve ever seen from a Springbok team,” he said. “If Ireland aren’t at 100% in two weeks’ time, they’ll be in a lot of trouble.”
He credited much of the team’s evolution to attack coach Tony Brown, the former All Blacks playmaker and Highlanders coach who joined Rassie Erasmus’ staff in 2024.
“To get that philosophy, and to get Rassie Erasmus to buy into that philosophy, and to get the whole squad to buy into it while you’re a man down in Paris, that means he’s been successful in selling his vision of how the team can attack,” Williams said.
“It’s very scary for the rest of the world, because with this team, where is their weakness?”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has given a typical veiled, tongue-in-cheek assessment of the suspension handed down to lock Lood de Jager.
The 32-year-old received a four-match ban for making shoulder-to-the head contact with France fullback Thomas Ramos during Saturday’s win in Paris.
This follows a nine-week ban, reduced to eight, for Bok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels, despite a lack of video evidence.
