Boks need backs to fire on all cylinders against Ireland
Springbok supporters need not fear the set-piece efficiency against any of Ireland, France, Italy or Wales, but it is the potency of the backs that will determine the success of the tour.
The talk for the last fortnight has been that Springbok coach Allister Coetzee will turn to Handré Pollard and Damian de Allende to add muscle, directness and impact to the South African attack.
The two last operated in tandem as a No 10 and No 12 in 2015 at the World Cup, but since then, Pollard has largely been absent due to injury and De Allende, because of injury and form, has very much been a fringe squad member.
De Allende started occasionally in 2016 but in 2017, he has been more bench warmer than backline slayer.
Bok 2017 inside centre Jan Serfontein is unavailable for the November internationals because of French club commitments with Montpellier. Regular 2017 flyhalf Elton Jantjies is on tour, but with him steering the Bok ship in 2017, the team has managed just five wins from nine starts.
The margins are frightfully small in professional sport because the five wins could, with a bit of good fortune, have been eight wins. The reality is that the figure stands at five and Coetzee’s Bok coaching record reads nine wins from 21 starts.
I’ve written on several occasions that the Dublin showdown with Ireland shapes as the defining Test of the Springbok season. Ireland, in Dublin, has become one of the toughest fixtures on the international calendar.
Eddie Jones’s England were beaten in Dublin earlier in 2017 and the All Blacks, on their last two visits to Dublin, won 24-22 and 21-9 in two high-quality match-ups.
It is essential for Coetzee and those players in which he has invested in 2017 that the Boks triumph in Dublin. The big question mark is if there is the class and form in the backs to overcome the Irish.
Pollard’s ability is not in question; it is his lack of international game time in the past two years that bothers.
De Allende’s assessment is not quite as simple. Is he still good enough? And if he is deemed the best No 12 option, then will the Springboks be good enough?
This is a tour for Pollard and De Allende to re-establish their claims to starting roles.
Pollard, whatever happens on the tour, will still have an international future, but this could be the 27-Test De Allende’s make-or-break tour.
The midfield has been a minefield for the Springboks in the past five seasons, spanning 57 Tests. In this time, 14 centre combinations have been used, with the retired Springbok captain Jean de Villiers and the out of favour JJ Engelbrecht’s nine-Test combination the most prolific.
De Allende and Jesse Kriel have played together eight times, as have Kriel (outside centre) and Serfontein (inside centre). De Allende, even though many of those 27 Tests have come as a substitute, is the most experienced Test back on tour.
The uncapped Lukhanyo Am has been the form South African midfielder in 2017, but he is viewed more as an outside centre.
His impact in linebreaks and tackles broken is nearly twice that of De Allende’s and his tackling efficiency is also 10% better.
Statistics all favour Am, but the opinion of Coetzee is very much weighted towards De Allende.
Coetzee’s loyalty to players is well documented but continued failure from these players means it translates to misguided loyalty.
Coetzee is also unlikely to tamper with his starting pack after the fabulous and courageous display against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
The Irish in Dublin are a different challenge to the All Blacks, but no less demanding.
The Springboks in Cape Town were passionate and brave. They were physical and powerful. They won back respect after the 57-0 humiliation against the All Blacks in Albany, New Zealand.
Now that the Boks have the respect of the world again, they need a winning result.
I am not convinced they’re going to get that winning result in Dublin, but I sincerely hope I am wrong.
Western Province’s Nizaam Carr and Lions’ loose-forward Kwagga Smith are two examples of loose-forwards that could have added to the potency of the Springboks.
Carr offers versatility and is arguably the most balanced No 8 in the country. Smith, as was evident in his man-ofthe-match display for the Barbarians against the All Blacks at Twickenham, has a game-breaking explosiveness.
The fact that these two can’t make the Springbok touring squad says more about the selectors than about the quality of those players on tour.