Five reasons why SA
THE world champion Springboks’ aura has shrivelled somewhat since they sent the British and Irish Lions packing, and the pummelling they received from the Australians in that second of the two consecutive unexpected defeats, served to plunge them into tough times.
Only time, the next two months in fact, will reveal their true character.
The two games against the All Blacks to round off the Rugby Championship, will be a yardstick of the South Africans’ mettle, and they put up a good show in the first, but with one more remaining, they are now facing the possibility of Played 4, Won 0 on tour.
Having observed the Wallabies’ tactics, Wales, Scotland and England will have taken note of how to counter the Boks’ crash, bash, smash and kick approach, and they too will be fancying their chances against the current holders of the Webb Ellis Cup.
I was not convinced that their victory in the Lions series was a convincing one. One incident, in the third and deciding game, where the tourists were penalised, when Tom Curry illegally cleaned a player who was not part of the maul, when it looked like a certain second try off a lineout drive, might have been the pivotal point that handed the Boks the series.
Had that try been scored, the outcome might have been different. The manner in which the Boks won was uninspiring, but they won nonetheless, and good for them too. They then easily dismantled Argentina twice and this gave them an opportunity to further beat their collective chest. After the then fifth-ranked Australians had their say in the first two games of the Southern Hemisphere contest, the Springboks are not as bullish as they were when they landed Down Under whilst the criticism subsequently levelled at them would require a few inches of skin to deflect. What then has led to the decline?
1: Unsustainable attack game plan
Success using the kicking and ‘mug the opposition’ approach, which has recently been widely criticised by top coaches and journalists from around the world, has an element of luck attached to it and depends on the opposition making errors; it is not sustainable.
Despite their size, the Boks, from time to time, do get taken on up front and get on the back foot, whilst kicking the ball away is a strategy that opposition also regularly circumvent. Even the likes of Japan and Italy, on their day, can conjure up a ploy to thwart the Boks.
So ultimately, their style of play has never sustained prolonged periods of dominance. With the current crop of talent and depth, the Boks could dominate for the foreseeable future; but they have to start playing with ball in hand more often, get a little more creative, play what’s in front, and use the firepower they have out wide. They would still generally out-muscle opposition at breakdown, but they need to start nurturing players to think on their feet and make spur-of-the-moment decisions based on the situation.
The Boks did a good job to put the All Blacks under pressure in Townsville, and the execution of their game plan was a lot more effective than in the two games against the Wallabies.
In the final analysis, it was the poor decisions that let the Boks down this past weekend with a handful of situations where they might have scored had they played what was on.
They are overdoing the kicking at the moment. It is not only depressing to watch, but it is a negative approach. This obstinate fixation seems to have vaporised their creativity as well as their ability to identify and attack space.
I would like to see the stats on how many tries the Boks have scored off backline strike moves or counterattack, in contrast to driving mauls from lineouts this year. In the second game against the Wallabies, they seemed to have heeded the call to give the ball some air. They probably ran the ball more times in that one game than they have all season, but they looked a bit clumsy trying to do it.
The backs have been used to either standing around watching the forwards bully the opposition or chase the soul-destroying, predictable serial box-kicks, and one would imagine that the midfield and outside backs, almost all of whom are exciting runners of the ball, have a degree of frustration at not having opportunities to showcase their flair. So when the opportunity to have a crack arose, the cobwebs got in the way.
2: One-dimensional defence
Their defence at the World Cup was impeccable and played a huge part in their success then, as well as against the Lions. As effective as their rush defence can be, it is a high-risk, highreward strategy, whist, and more importantly, it is also as one-dimensional as their attack.
The Lions were probably wary of the Bok defence and decided to try to beat them by kicking the ball back. That ploy backfired and had they opted to allow Gregor Townsend to fully implement an attack strategy, such as the one he has successfully applied with Scotland, they might have discovered how easy it is to crack a rush defence. If you keep the ball away from them by moving the ball around, you avoid getting bullied by their oafs. With modern conditioning methods, most teams should back themselves to match the Boks on the physicality front.
The Wallabies showed that if you take the Boks on in the forwards, whilst not falling into the trap of playing the kicking game like the Lions did, and opt to rather vary your attack structure and points of penetration, they become vulnerable. Together with that, if the attacking team or ball carrier suddenly changes the picture by altering their running line or intended receiver of a pass, it is impossible to adjust.
If you watch the highlights of the tries and line-breaks by the Australians, you will notice how out of balance the Boks defenders were as the breaches occurred. A rush defence only gives you one option; you restrict an uncreative attacking team from creating momentum. Against a team with a bit of creativity and footwork, your defence will unravel.
3: The role of the ‘waterboy’
One wonders how much the Springboks have depended on their coach ‘waterboys’. Jacques Nienaber previously played that role when he was defence coach, then Rassie Erasmus took over. Erasmus’ ability to strategise and