Crusaders pose a huge danger
After four rounds of Super Rugby action, the Crusaders, Bulls and Rebels top their respective conferences. The Crusaders and Rebels remain unbeaten, while the Bulls have claimed a clean-sweep over their South African foes. In my opinion, it’s not coincidental that the trio are the pacesetters this season because they have discovered the best blend in terms of playing style.
In the first two years of Scott Robertson’s reign as head coach, the Crusaders played with energy and intensity. They were good but weren’t clinical because when new coaches take over there is a novel shape that has to be implemented and fresh information that gets given to the players.
This season, into year three of Robertson’s tutelage, the Crusaders have that same energy but they are becoming clinical, which spells a big problem for the rest. The Crusaders will keep the ball in hand but it will be on their terms. When they lose momentum, they are prepared to play for territory, chase well and contest the ball in the air.
The Crusaders have scored some cracking tries but the fact is they play sensible rugby and don’t take risks.
The same can be said for the Bulls, who have flipped the script from last year. It does make you wonder about the ‘John Mitchell way’ because the same defence coach last season – Pine Pienaar – is now a star in the coaching staff. The simple reason is that the Bulls are not running themselves off their feet and trying to carry the ball from all corners.
Last year, the Bulls literally ran from everywhere and, if you count how many matches the Bulls lost in the last 15 minutes, it’s alarming. They would start fantastically and always fall over towards the end of a contest because they were literally out on their feet.
This term the Pretoria-based side is playing a much better blend of rugby and first-five Handre´ Pollard is a microcosm of the Bulls’ more sensible strategy. As a first five-eighth, who already from schoolboy level boasted the ability to dictate with his boot, it’s actually against Pollard’s nature to want to run everything.
From a South African point of view, the fact that Pollard is managing to play this way the best of all the No 10s in the republic would be very pleasing to Rassie Erasmus because last season was the exact opposite.
The Rebels, meanwhile, top the Australian conference and South African Dave Wessels has again worked wonders as head coach. When teams now take on the Rebels, it’s much more than saying the Melbourne-based side will put up a good fight. They are going to beat you if you are slightly off your game.
The irony is that they are doing the same thing as the Bulls and Crusaders from a game play point of view. I worked with Wessels during my coaching stint at the Stormers when Erasmus was also there and he is schooled in the ‘Rassie way’.
Erasmus’ style is a very territory-driven game, but in hearing his recent comments, he is thankful that most South African teams are trying to employ a sensible game. Said strategy is based on waiting for your opportunities and not forcing the issue the whole time. When the opposition are off their game and you force it, it’s like going to the casino and gambling. You might strike it lucky at times, but when you come up against better opposition you are not going to win.
The likes of the Crusaders are going to eat you alive if you run the ball from everywhere. The teams that find themselves in the driving seat in their respective conferences at the moment realise that there is a different way to play the game and the solution is not an all-out attacking style. The ultimate challenge is found in striking the right balance between all facets of the game and, in terms of tactics, I must stress that it’s never one or the other.
Moreover, all three teams in question possess halfback pairings that are dictating terms. The Crusaders paired Richie Mo’unga and Ere Enari last Saturday, the Bulls boast Pollard and Ivan van Zyl/Embrose Papier and the Rebels have the old firm of Quade Cooper and Will Genia back together.
While the ex-Wallaby 9-10 axis boasts a wealth of experience, the beauty of rugby lies in the fact that a halfback such as Papier is now learning the best way you can – on the job. If you want to grow a new Bok halfback, this would be the best way in the world. Erasmus probably can’t believe his luck that the Bulls halfback pairing is playing so well and it’s founded on a more rounded game approach.
South African Brendan Venter is a 1995 World Cup winner and a former assistant coach of the Springboks.