Not as rough as was the case in 2018 when Erasmus inherited players virtually morally destroyed by the previous two coaches Meyer and Coetzee. Under those two the physical abilities were available - but the mental abilities were gone. In 2015 the Springboks losses against Japan in 2015 and Italy in 2017 proved that totally.
Both Meyer and Coetzee were totally destructive as a result of lack of game plans, analysis of attack strategy and analysis of the weaknesses of opposition teams. The defects of the two coaches was preceded by two coaches that had most of the above shortcomings as well. When Meyer and Coetzee coached club teams in France and Japan subsequent to their stints as Springbok coaches - both the teams they coached were destroyed by the two coaches and approached relegation to second tier status in their respective countries, Both were fired by their clubs because they were both grossly incompetent as coaches,
There were zero in game plans both in attacking and defense. There were no coaching in implementing opposition strengths and weaknesses - no development of strategies and finally no coaching to implement mental and physical development of players and how to implement measures to counter deficiencies, The situation started improving in 2018 and by the start of 2019 nobody thought the Springboks had any chance to win the 2019 RWC yet the basic foundation started in 2018 was implementally defined and physical coaching was fine-tuned.
The present situation is that the team is basically functioning better than they did in 2023 when the Springboks barely managed to retain the RWC trophy and in 2024 the team was the best team ever in the history of the team in the professional era - but on franchise level the decline continued.
I can name examples of players like Etzebeth and Pollard that was in serious decline and Etzebeth is back to where he was in 2019 - but Pollard is not and will probably be on the way out, Of the 2019 RWC squad Le Roux is gone, and so is Mapimpi and Am, Reinach is also not the best remaining scrumhalf - Beast, Malherbe, Vermeulen and is gone,
So the talent pool has not been destroyed - talented players are available and we have a season of URC rugby coming up and further tests will be played before the RWC in 2027 and some youngsters will come through as indicated by Dave above, That is why 2027 and 2028 will not be the doomsday scene Mozart referred to above,
I think that some real champions like Etzebeth, Marx and Du Toit will not be replaceable - but rugby remains a team sport and teams function as long as a coach like Erasmus is available.
The latest attacks on Sacha is unwarranted, The backline is functioning better than in 2019 despite Sacha being targeted by the opposition to try and isolate him in matches which leave openings for players like De Allende and the outside backs to keep functioning better than they did in the past. Fact is I think the talent pool is bigger than it was the whole of Springbok players than it was in the professional era.
