The Springboks are on track to go past Richie McCaw’s All Blacks as the best team in professional era

Wednesday, 26 November 2025

Richie McCaw, Jerome Kaino and Sam Whitelock in action against England at Eden Park in 2014.

ANALYSIS: Comparing eras is always a fraught exercise but Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks are inviting that difficult conversation because of the way they are laying waste to their opponents.

The 43-10 win against the All Blacks in Wellington wasn’t a one-off: they reduced the French to rubble in Paris three weeks ago despite playing half of the test with only 14 men and they obliterated the Irish scrum in Dublin last weekend.

They aren’t just winning, they are dominating in such a way that arguably makes the greatest team of the professional era.

The All Blacks from 2011-2015 were superb under the leadership of Richie McCaw, winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups, but South Africa have matched that feat and now appear to be getting better.

They are accelerating towards the Rugby World Cup in 2027 after introducing new players, including a generational talent in No 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and their revolutionary use of the bench has created a side capable of maintaining physical intensity over 80 minutes in a way that hasn’t been employed before.

A minute before halftime against Ireland in Dublin, Erasmus injected two new props with the express purpose of scrummaging Ireland out of the test, and the 144kg Wilco Louw promptly destroyed Andrew Porter, a British and Irish Lion, earning a penalty try and a yellow card.

That is a phenomenal level of dominance in that area of the game, and they did the same to the All Blacks, Argentina and France.

South Africa's Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scores against Ireland in Dublin.

Yet, when the mood takes them they have also shown a mixture of pace, power, technical ability and sheer X-factor in the backline - notably against the All Blacks in Wellington.

We are in a competitive era of test rugby - probably more competitive than it was in 2011-2015 - but the Springboks are on a different level to anyone else and they are already at shorter odds to win the Rugby World Cup in 2027 than the Crusaders or Chiefs are to win Super Rugby Pacific next year.

Quite how anyone can bridge the gap to the Springboks is uncertain, and the All Blacks’ tour to South Africa is looking more like “an opportunity to take on some good learnings”, as the modern jargon goes, rather than a legitimate chance to win the test series.

The All Blacks will dispute that assessment, but there is nothing between now and the start of the test series against South Africa in Johannesburg on August 22 that will prepare them for the full-on physical assault that is coming their way.

In a pure popularity contest, the All Blacks of McCaw, Dan Carter, Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino, Ma’a Nonu et al will likely win more votes, but if the Springboks do win the next Rugby World Cup they will take over the mantle as the greatest team since professionalism - if they haven’t done so already.