Japan head coach Eddie Jones has repeated his claim that the Springboks may have peaked too soon ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup and explained why he said so.
The Springboks have been the dominant force in international rugby for several years now and under the guidance of their head coach Rassie Erasmus they won back-to-back Rugby World Cups in Japan (2019) and France (2023) as well as a 2-1 series victory over the British & Irish Lions in South Africa in 2021.
Since their 2023 World Cup triumph, they have gone from strength-to-strength as they were also crowned Rugby Championship winners in 2024 and 2025 and completed unbeaten end-of-year tours to Europe in 2024 and 2025.
Jones ruffled some feathers amongst Springboks supporters last month when he declared that all the success the Boks have attained in recent years could come to an abrupt halt at the global showpiece which will be hosted in Australia in just under 18 months.
“I’ve got a theory on South Africa that maybe they’re hitting their peak right now,” he told the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin.
“And is the timing right? Because two years to retain a peak is a long time. So, they’ve been playing some sensational rugby.”
While appearing on the Behind the Ruck podcast, former Springboks scrum-half Rudy Paige asked Jones how he came to the conclusion that the 2027 Rugby World Cup might be a bridge too far for the Boks and he replied: “Someone said to me, ‘What do you think about South Africa?’
“And I thought, ‘Oh, well, the one thing that’s hard to do in rugby, particularly, is hold your absolute top for long periods’.
‘I think it is a challenge for them to keep their peak’
“And I wasn’t suggesting at all that South Africa’s not going to do well at the World Cup, but I think it is a challenge for them to keep their peak, to keep that amount of intensity.”
However, Jones feels that Erasmus’ ability to keep his players hungry and motivated is something which gives them an edge over their opponents.
“But the one thing we’ve got going for them, and this is where Rassie’s done better than anyone else, he’s created such a competitive environment in that team,” he explained.
“And you can see, like, you can go from first choice half-back, like Faf de Klerk, you think about four years ago, he was a half-back. Every team in the world wanted a Faf de Klerk.
“He’d run, he’d kick, he’d close down defences, he was a bundle of energy. And even at his best now, he may be, what, sixth or seventh rank?
“And you’ve got these guys competing nearly in every position that it keeps them hungry. And the thing that stops you coming off a peak is hunger.
“If you can keep people hungry and keep at it, but the big challenge is to keep those older guys, whether they can keep going and be at their best.
“Because one of the things that does happen, and I think, you know, probably the 2015 World Cup may have been an example of that for South Africa. You know, I don’t know.
‘That’s the slight risk for South Africa’
“That some guys just want to go to another World Cup and they’re not, of course they want to win, but they haven’t done everything they can to win. And that’s the slight risk for South Africa. And you’ve got to find some hope for people.
“Because at the moment, you’re building everyone. So, we’ve got to create some hope.”
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The Springboks currently have several players in their ranks who are between the ages of 30 and 35, and although Jones feels that it is not the only factor which could count against them when they defend their Rugby World Cup title, he believes it could play a role.
“I think it’s always a combination of factors, but I think the number of players that are potentially ageing, yeah,” he said. “And we’ve seen it now, you can play until you’re 36, 37, 38 now.
“If you’re prepared to look after your body, train really appropriately. Like for some it’s hard, for some it’s doing less. And (if you’re) prepared to give up things in your life.
“You can keep playing and (if) you’ve got the mindset to still want to be physically tough, then there’s no reason you can’t do it.
“But, as you get older, the tendency is not to want to do that, you know? And that’s the only risk for South Africa, I reckon. The way the game is played at the moment suits South Africa brilliantly.”