Not once do I recall the Boks trying to run the ball from their own twenty two. They played field position and kicked intelligently. Unlike the previous matches, they attacked only from inside the Ozzie half.  In fact all 8 of their tries were scored from moves created well inside their opponent’s territory.

A vastly improved performance from key players such as Schalk Burger and Juan Smith, backed up by a potent Pierre Spies. Beast was absolutely superb today. Butch, although not our solution to flyhalf, was also vastly improved and our midfield pairing of Jacobs and Jean de Villiers clicked in perfect unison. That deft back flip pass from de Villiers to Jacobs to set the stocky midfielder away for his own score, was a gem.

Jantjies had a superb game from the back, solid as ever. And before I mention the little feat of four tries by that little flyer, Jonde Nokwe…allow me to be the first to concede when I am wrong. I am not talking about coach Puppet… but Odwa Ndugane. I criticized his selection as uninspiring and he proved me wrong on the day. An awesome showing by Ndugane who was very effective and always looking for work. His chasing of kicks and follow up work helped set up Nokwe’s historical fourth try as well as rewarding himself with the closing score.

As for Jonde Nokwe. The little speedster in only his third outing for the Boks holds a record against Australia that no other player from any other nation before him has achieved. Four tries against the Wallabies, a first tier nation. That is applaudable stuff. Sure, some of his tries were tailor made but others, he had a fair amount of work to do to finish…and he did exactly that. I also enjoyed his little high five with a Bok supporter in the crowd after one of his scores. A nice touch.  And a neat place in the record books. Well done, Jonde Nokwe.

I also enjoyed his post match interview where he showed himself to be the picture of humility.

There is a huge sense of dejavu here between coaches Carel du Plessis and Puppet de Villiers. Both coaches endured some bitter losses trying to play the expansive game, and both coaches ended the Trinations with a walloping win over the Wallabies. Carel du Plessis at Loftus in 1997, also with an eight try spree and a score of 61-24, and again Puppet on Saturday with a 53-8 win. It was also the last time we saw Carel du Plessis as coach of the Boks. Puppet however I am sure will survive.

Does this victory vindicate coach Puppet? My personal view is definitely no. Consistency in winning answers that question, and until he can win consecutive games, then I may change my view point about him. His continued baffling comments after the match, drawing comparisons between Jesus and himself still defies belief. Maybe yesterdays victory was orchestrated by the coach, maybe the players themselves, I am not sure. But I just cant get confidence going when it comes to Puppet. Not yet anyway.

On Saturday, tactics were employed by the Boks that these unknowledgeable Bok fans had been calling for last week and the week before. Play the game in your opponents half. What a difference a bit of territorial play can make. Why did we wait until now to employ those changes to the game plan? Then again I have a sneaky suspicion that the players may have defied their coach and taken the game plan into their own hands.

Puppet did say in the week “When we get it right, someone is going to get a hiding”. After our our last two consecutive defeats…bad defeats…that remark not only sounded arrogant but an unrealistic dream full of unrealistic fantasies by a coach living in cloud cuckoo land. Yet, someone did get a hiding on Saturday. Australia by 8-53. Who would have thought?

It is with a certain measure of joy that we can revel in a little stat that one little milestone the Boks hold over the Wallabies, is that at our hands, they have received their two biggest thrashings ever. But then again they will remind you of a certain little thrashing stat of their own....a small matter of 0-49 two seasons back.

However before we go declaring new era’s dawning in Bok rugby, we also have to be factual. If we look at the Wallabies performance, it has to be said that they were pitifully woeful in a way I have never seen from them before. And it is unlikely that that they will perform again at those inept standards. To me it seemed like they simply didn’t show up.

Were they overconfident, were they complacent. Somewhere there has to be a realistic justification for that show.

Their defence was shocking. Their all round play was dismal and their own approach to the game was lethargic at best. Why, I don’t know. They looked so disinterested as though there was nothing to play for. The thrashing they received had as much to do with their own poor showing as it had to do with an improvement from the Boks. The Wallabies are far better team than this. This was still a test match, regardless of whether it had no bearing on the outcome of the Trinations.

As I said, It is unlikely we will see an Ozzie team perform this poorly again. The All Blacks I am sure will not be lulled into a false sense of superiority come Brisbane, after this showing.

If I was a Wallaby supporter, I would be demanding answers for that one. Not because they lost, but because of the way they lost.  Stirling Mortlock was hopeless on the evening, shedding tackles and throwing missed passes. Mind you it would be cruel to single out anyone player, it was a collective team effort of very poor performances.  I couldn’t believe the sitter of a try that Lote Tuiguri butchered early in the match. I will leave it to the Wallaby supporters to debate the unforced changes made by Robbie Deans…why and what impact it had at Ellis Park.

It is almost like the teams of last week swapped jerseys this week. A true contest would have been to see the Wallabies of Durban take on the Boks of Johannesburg. Both teams were completely unrecognizable in reversed rolls from the team of the previous week which does prove true that a week is indeed a long time in rugby.

I would imagine that a proud coach such as Robbie Deans would be stung by a defeat of that level. I think he downplayed it a bit when he said something to the effect that a defeat is a defeat whether it is 1 point or a lot more. And some previously sceptical Kiwi’s might just be looking at this result and calling their Cartel correctly for keeping Graham Henry at the expense of the popular Deans.

For us SAFFA’s, well it was our turn for a little bit of cheer, hollow in some respects because the Trinations for us is over, but loud in other respects because this is still test rugby and victory was so comprehensive. And this victory goes a long way in soothing over the pains of previous defeats…but it doesn’t go all the way. 

Commiserations to our Wallaby friends, knowing first hand ourselves that such a poor capitulation by your side only pours extra salt into those wounds. You have at least one more match to redeem yourselves. Saturday was ours.

For now, I will take this victory and its stunning tries and enjoy for a while. God knows, we deserve something to smile about for a change. PBs declaration of Adi Jacobs as man of the series (for the Bok team), is a motion I would second. Even in gloomy times, Adi Jacobs has been one of our consistent performers and a revelation in the midfield. So too has Conrad Jantjies. Beast I would vote our most improved. And on Saturday it was great to see all our big names like Du Preez, Burger, Juan Smith, Spies and even Matfield perform to the levels we have come to expect from them.

Last week our loosies went AWOL. The Wallabies wiped the floor with us in that department. This week it was their loosies who were nowhere to be seen. And for a change, it was our backrow who were the mean bastards.  Such dramatic roll reversals in a matter of seven days are baffling when we try dissecting this in rugby debates.

Finally, a fitting tribute to a loyal servant of Bok rugby… Percy Montgomery. To achieve over 100 caps in the tumultuous world of Springbok rugby is no small achievement. At least he bows out on the high he deserves. Congratulations Percival. For all the highs and lows, I salute you. You have been an excellent servant of Bok rugby.  I suspect as well that Ellis Park may also be the last time we see Butch James strap up for the Boks.

That is the curtain on our Tri nation season for 2008. Until the EOYT, hope the Boks enjoy the more fluid and less pressurized world of Currie Cup rugby. For the Trinations, we have the final to look forward to between the Blacks and Wallabies in Australia. After the topsy turvey results of this season, rugby logic is so defied, that I will make no predictions on this one. May the best team win, is all I can say.