All eyes will be on the Springboks' response to Ellis Park fiasco

South Africa's humbling loss at in Joburg is a wake-up call for the rest of the 2025 Rugby Championship as well as for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

- By Craig Ray

Rassie Erasmus smiled through the obligatory media conference after the Springboks' 38-22 loss to the Wallabies in their Rugby Championship opener at Ellis Park. It wasn't a smile emitting any warmth. It was a nervous reaction to complete embarrassment laced with confusion. He was like a passenger after a car accident trying to make sense of the wreck.

After a lengthy mea culpa, in which he blamed himself, the other coaches, the tactics and even the players, Erasmus eventually resorted to plain language: "We were dog shit on the day."

That was perhaps inaccurate, because the Boks were anything but "dog shit" for the first 20 minutes. If the game had been stopped just before Australia's opening try in the 29th minute, the story would have been about one of the greatest performances in history.

From Kurt-Lee Arendse's opening try to Siya Kolisi's 18th-minute try, the Boks have seldom played better.

The foundation of brute strength and contact dominance was there, laced with bold attacking flair and accuracy. It was sensational. Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt admitted he and his team were helpless.

"When they were accurate, like you saw in that first 20 minutes, we were in trouble, with wave after wave coming. It was impressive."

But rugby games are not played over 20 minutes. The Boks lost control, especially after halftime, and the Wallabies, through their own composure and resilience, secured a win for the ages.

Losing is one thing. Conceding six tries and 38 unanswered points against a team that has struggled for several years, at a venue where the Boks usually thrive, is what is so staggering. That's why Erasmus looked dazed. An hour after the final whistle, he was unable to make sense of it.

In many ways, it was the weirdest game of rugby in memory because of the complete dominance by both teams at different stages of the game.