Most people on here need to get a cup of tea and have a good lie down.
SA have probably got 5 players in the world's top 10, we haven't got one. This was the world's best team vs a team somewhere between eighth and tenth. We can expect that if both sides play to their capabilities we will lose by 40 or 50 points. The South Africans could play their third best 23 and still expect to beat us, though maybe not by 40.
We don't have a loose head of the quality of Ox, we don't have a hooker of the quality of Marx or Bongi, we don't have a tight head of the quality of Koch or Malherbe. They had two of the all time greats as their locking pair, du Toit and Etsebeth. Only McReight (injured) and Valetini in our squad would have a hope of making the SA touring squad and only Valetini would be considered as a possible starter at 8. Tupou just doesn't train hard enough and misses lots of games. Our forwards were always going to get rolled today - most of them gave of their best but it was men vs boys.
We just have to suck it up and keep trying to develop a competitive team. We also have to throw Giteau's law in the bin and do what the South Africans do. Best Australians on the planet get picked regardless. We don't have the luxury for anything else.
And our Super coaches are incompetent, even the supposedly good ones. Staniforth goes to the Brumbies for three or four years, supposedly the home of great forward coaching. Plays off the bench 90% of the time. Comes to Sydney to get a starting role and for several years is universally derided as useless. Goes to France, arguably the world's best league, and immediately goes into top 5 best locks status. Our coaches do not value what's important. And that is why we are second tier and why SA are a 40 point better side than us.
Today was better than I expected. This is just where we are.