Francesca Rudkin: Do we need to panic following the All Blacks' record loss to the Springboks?

To panic or not to panic, that was the question I was asking myself yesterday morning after the almost two hour ‘friendly’ between the All Blacks and the Springboks at Twickenham.  

There is of course no such thing as a ‘friendly’ between these two sides. Watching the game yesterday I thought of Steven Hansen’s comment from about 8 years ago when, before another match at Twickenham between these two sides, Hansen declared the Springboks were getting ready to rip our heads off.  

Some things never change. It felt like a nightmare, as the Springboks wore the All Blacks down with a monstering, grisly, goring, and dominant performance. That’s just a few ways the world’s media yesterday described the All Blacks worst defeat in 131 years.  

Once the Rugby World Cup is over this test might not mean much - confined to the record books and maybe not much else - but after an impressive, undefeated year for the All Blacks this was not the psychological boost the All Blacks and the rest of us needed two weeks out from the beginning of the Rugby World Cup.  

It dawned on me, as I sat slightly stupefied on the couch, that I may not be emotionally prepared for the coming sudden-death rounds. 

So, do we need to panic? Panic is a fear response and my goodness the Springboks and the northern hemisphere refs put the fear in me yesterday. But the answer is obviously, no. Panicking never did anyone any good.  

Ian Foster said post match he’d “rather have those lessons today, a couple of weeks out from the World Cup, than in a fortnight.” There’s some truth in that, but what else can you say after a record defeat? 

As a country, we’ve grown up a lot in how we respond to sporting defeats. As Warriors fans will attest, being a true fan means supporting your team through the good and bad years. Fans may not put their bodies on the line but we certainly put our hearts into it. It’s good to remember once the shock or elation of a result has dissipated that it’s just a game.  

Yesterday was a reminder that while I’m looking forward to the entertainment, drama, and great rugby we’re about to see I also need to accept that what will be, will be. I’m 100 percent behind the All Blacks - I love supporting the underdog! – but if it doesn’t go our way I hope we all take a deep breath and tip our hat to all involved and get on with the day. Given the early morning game times, that probably means first up, boiling the jug. 

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