Gavin Rich's wide-ranging column uses South Africa's simultaneous grip on the world No 1 rugby and cricket rankings as a jumping-off point for a broader argument about how genuine — not circumstantial — this dominance is. On the cricket side, he traces the Proteas' journey from their Lord's WTC triumph, which some dismissed as a one-off, through a drawn series in Pakistan, a first whitewash of India in India in 23 years, and now a home series win over Australia that he argues definitively settles the debate. On the rugby side, he's brief: the Boks have held No 1 for a sustained stretch and look set to maintain it through the November window.
The column is as much personal essay as analysis — Rich was at Newlands for four of the five days and sketches the atmosphere, the crowd's frustration at being locked out of the New Year's Test against England (CSA having sold tickets primarily to foreign hospitality packages), and a scheduling clash that forced him to leave early for the Stormers-Ulster match. That Stormers game itself feeds into a telling observation: a 33-7 win over Ulster barely registered emotionally in the stands because winning has become the expectation. He draws the parallel with Carling's Grand Slam England sides — the crowd now demands style, not just results. The piece closes on the youth — Markus Muller, Yaqeen Ahmed, Zekhethelo Siyaya — as evidence that SA rugby's current strength isn't a peak but a trajectory.