Opinion: South Africa strength can expose New Zealand’s weakness in Rugby Championship openers

The July internationals produced some unforgettable moments for the rugby romantics.

Wayne Pivac’s side beat the Boks in the second Test of the three-game series to become the first Welsh side to win on South African soil. A week later, Ireland went one better to complete a monumental series victory in New Zealand.

These results will echo across the ages. History will remember these Welsh and Irish players for their groundbreaking achievements.

In the context of the 2022 season, the results in the July internationals have challenged widely held perceptions about the Test rugby pecking order.

France and Ireland are the best teams on the planet. It’s no longer a northern hemisphere hypothesis, but a universal fact.

The Boks and England are gathering momentum, though, and bear watching in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup.

The All Blacks, however, have fallen off a cliff.

Since Ian Foster took the reins from Steve Hansen in 2020, New Zealand have recorded significant losses to Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Ireland and France. They made history this past Saturday when they became only the third All Blacks side to lose a three-Test series in New Zealand.

Will that loss to Ireland mark the nadir of the All Blacks’ nightmare? Or is there more pain in the post?

New Zealand certainly has the players and structures to turn things around. And yet, one wonders whether the current group will bounce back in the space of a few weeks.

The All Blacks will travel to South Africa for a double-header against the Boks. Unless they halt their current slide, they will lose their grip on the Freedom Cup, the Rugby Championship title and possibly even the Bledisloe Cup.

The All Blacks forwards were outmuscled and out-thought in the second