John Smit on the Boks' Shock Loss: Where Did It Go Wrong?

The All Blacks have gone to Ellis Park and won five tries to one and Marshy was standing in the middle of it.

This week Andy is joined by Justin Marshall live from Johannesburg, still dusty, still 30 years on from '96, and Kieran Read in studio after a 3am alarm and a duvet on the couch with his boy. They break down how the All Blacks were under the pump for 40 minutes and still walked off with a scoreline that flattered them, the three unnoticed effort plays that swung the whole test, and why nobody in that squad celebrated like the job was done.

Then Marshy finally does some homework and brings in former Springbok World Cup winning captain John Smit, who watched from the stands next to Francois Louw. He's honest about what he saw, the scrum that should have won it, the unforced errors he hasn't seen from this Springbok side in years, and what Rassie might do in Cape Town. He also explains what this tour has done to South Africa: green shirts every Friday, nothing getting done, and for the first time in the country's broadcasting history, more people watching rugby than football.

Plus: the points-per-22-entry stat the coaches are obsessed with, why Fabian Holland has become crucial, whether George Bower has forced a start, and a proper appreciation for Matt Carley telling the TMO no.

The Fearless Player of the Week is brought to you by Gallagher, your trusted insurance broker — backing the show and backing the game.

Three tests to go. How good.

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📑CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome — Marshy in Joburg, Reado in studio
00:58 "The most amazing feeling" — Marshy at Ellis Park
02:48 3am alarm, duvet on the couch, watching with the boy
04:11 Why this tour has brought back the old-school tours
06:07 The 1996 generation gap (and the frosted tips)
07:50 Why the All Blacks didn't celebrate
08:39 Under the pump — how were we only one point down?
10:10 The points the Springboks left out there
12:33 The three effort plays that swung the test
13:08 Jordie Barrett's hand of God
14:57 Altitude, fatigue and a spongy Ellis Park
16:20 Fearless Player of the Week, brought to you by Gallagher
18:12 The 22-entry stat the coaches are obsessed with
21:21 Why the Bok ball carriers are so hard to stop
23:40 GUEST: Springbok World Cup winning captain John Smit
25:47 Smit on the first half: "the scoreboard didn't reflect it"
28:05 What can Rassie actually change for Cape Town?
29:52 Do the Boks go back to the old formula?
32:44 "It's psychotic" — what this series is doing to South Africa
37:10 Respect for the haka: the quietest Ellis Park's ever been
38:58 Smit's message to the Boks: "we haven't become a bad team in one day"
40:56 Reacting to Smit — a nation in mourning
41:20 "We've stuck our foot all the way in their house"
42:47 Why Andy still isn't confident
44:18 Fabian Holland's engine and Tupou Vaa'i at lock
45:51 The front row — does Bower start in Cape Town?
48:42 The Lions game and managing bodies through the tour
49:41 Matt Carley, the TMO, and letting the game flow
53:49 Wrap
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