Saturday 30 September 2017 18:58, UK
The Springboks were hammered 57-0 by the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship two weeks ago, the visitors' heaviest defeat in the history of the game.
On the same weekend, Montpellier thrashed three-time European champions Toulon 43-20 in the Top 14, one of four wins this season which puts Vern Cotter's side at the summit of the French domestic competition as it currently stands.
Montpellier boast the likes of Ruan Pienaar, Francois Steyn and Bismarck du Plessis in their ranks, all of whom are eligible to play for South Africa under their policy of overseas-based players needing 30 caps to remain in contention.
Despite that policy, Bok coach Allister Coetzee has opted to pick a Rugby Championship squad comprised almost exclusively of players plying their trade in South Africa. Fair enough for the future of South Africa's game, some might say, while others may argue conceding a half-century against their traditional rivals shows that the Springboks need to reconsider their position.
In this year's Rugby Championship the only two players selected from abroad by Coetzee were Francois Hougaard of Worcester and Bath's Francois Louw, so it's not a case of everyone in the northern hemisphere being ignored. Why then, is someone like Du Plessis being left out?
"You'd have to ask the Springbok coaches and the people in South Africa," Du Plessis told Sky Sports. "For me personally I can't change what their decisions are and I can't change what they want to do.
"All I can do is focus on playing good rugby for Montpellier, and whatever happens in the future will take care of itself. It's quite difficult to be outspoken about something that you're not involved in."
The 79-Test international made his debut for the Boks ahead of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and along with brother Jannie, Steyn and Pienaar, was part of the matchday 23 that beat England in the final in Paris almost ten years ago.
Given that timeline it's fair to say that the hooker isn't the future of Springbok rugby, but the mystery remains as to why he isn't in the current squad.
Jake White wrote in his All Out Rugby column that South Africa had "dropped the baton" by ignoring the talent available in the northern hemisphere: "Malcolm Marx is going to be a great Springbok," White wrote. "But he would get there much quicker if he was given the baton by Bismarck du Plessis. Bismarck got the baton from John Smit."
The understated Du Plessis, who last played for South Africa in the 2015 World Cup, refused to criticise the Bok side for their run of poor form of late, but feels he still has something to offer their cause.
"At the moment I do feel I can rumble it up. In the Top 14 you play against certain players who also play internationally.
"But like I said, I just have to focus on my job at Montpellier, I can't focus too much on other environments."
The 33-year-old started his career playing for the Cheetahs in the Free State before moving to Durban, where he helped the Sharks to two Currie Cup titles. He also fought his way into a Springbok side that won the World Cup and was ranked number one in the world following a series win over the Lions and a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand in the 2009 Tri-Nations.
Du Plessis says he is not the same player he was when he first broke on the scene, but believes experience always aids development.
"When you're young you don't know what to expect until you've experienced something. If you look at a guy like Roger Federer, he played a lot differently when he started off his career in comparison to now. You take more educated guesses."
Playing in France has also helped the front rower add layers to his game, he says.
"In the southern hemisphere you're playing mostly in conditions that are the same throughout the season.
"In the Top 14 you have to adept your game quite quickly because you start the season in the summer, then you head into winter where it's cold and the fields are heavy, then it's dry again - so you have to keep adapting throughout the season."
Montpellier are taking on Brive on Sunday afternoon in a game where the league leaders are taking on the side at the bottom of the table. Despite a winless campaign for Brive so far, Du Plessis says he is expecting fireworks from the proud side.
"They are very physical, especially at home. I was quite shocked to see their two losses at home this season. In the past two seasons that I've been involved here, they only lost one throughout the whole season - by one or two points at that, so I am expecting a backlash from them.
"They have a physical pack, they remind me a lot of when I started off at the Cheetahs where you played for each other and you really respond well when the pressure's on."
Du Plessis says he is also expecting backlash in his old home town of Bloemfontein, where the Boks are looking to get back to winning ways against the Wallabies after their humbling at the hands of New Zealand.
"I would expect a big response. I don't know everybody there but I know a few guys who played with me in my time, they will be really firing to go," he added.
Win or lose, can the Boks afford to keep turning their back on the international experience of those playing in the northern hemisphere?
Watch South Africa against Australia in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Action from 3.30pm, and Montpellier v Brive in the Top 14 on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Action from 11.25am.
