South African rugby plunged new depths this weekend with a shock 20-18 reversal in Rome. It was the first time that the Springboks have been beaten by the Azzurri, and it marks another nadir in their seeming endless exploration of the depths of mediocrity.
The 'Boks haven't won any of their last four games, including a 37-21 defeat at Twickenham and a 57-15 monstering at home to the All Blacks.
In all, the 'Boks have played 13 test matches this year, and have contrived to lose seven of them.
With results on such a disastrous trajectory, the public opinion of the rugby side is extremely low, and that is borne out by these player ratings awarded by a South African newspaper.
While the result to Italy was undoubtedly humiliating, this seems harsh.
(While this isn't written in English, we fell the numbers get their point across).
Ouch.
While the 'Boks are clearly underachieving, the attitude on display in those ratings surely does a huge disservice to Italy and the work that Conor O'Shea is doing.
If you have the time, this half-hour Youtube clip from SuperSport TV after the game, as the panel attempt to digest the shock result in its doleful context, is instructive.
