Swys — more than one way to attack

Lions coach may have more than just free running up his sleeve for the Springboks

I have developed a method of attack that has worked for us. We haven’t struggled to score tries Swys de Bruin Lions coach and Springbok consultant

● It is a little curious that the man whose Super Rugby team attacks as if there were no tomorrow would espouse the virtues of patience with such gusto.

Maybe Swys de Bruin is a bigger pragmatist than it is widely believed?

De Bruin, the coach of the free-running Lions in Super Rugby who top the competition’s try-scoring charts, has been roped in as a consultant to oversee the Springboks’ attack.

From an attack perspective he was quick to caution that the team should not be judged on what happened in wet conditions in Washington last week, nor indeed should a verdict be passed on what transpires in the three-test series against England.

While De Bruin was a little opaque in what the Boks want out of this series, England coach Eddie Jones isn’t one to bite his tongue. He observed before his team’s tour that he wanted his side to score more tries against the teams that matter. He wanted England to make a greater impact against tier-one nations by increasing the 2.7 tries they were averaging per match to three.

De Bruin confirmed that the Boks had similar ideals but that he was not in a position to divulge them.

“Rassie (Erasmus, the Bok coach) is very objective-driven,” said De Bruin. “For him all these games are building blocks to the next World Cup. He’s got distinct objectives that I feel he needs to share.

“Rassie will be in this position for a while. What I’ve seen over the last two weeks has made me hugely excited. He’s on the right track with not just what he’s doing, but how he is going about achieving it.

“Of course you want to do as well as you can with what you have as soon as possible. You do however have to have long-term objectives.”

De Bruin knows he can’t cut and paste what works for the Lions onto test rugby, but there are universal must-dos that can be applied in attack.

“I believe in certain attack principles. I am focused on the gainline. When to play directly to, or around opponents. For me it is about the principles, irrespective if it is an under-19 team, Currie Cup or at Bok level. What changes is the time and the pressure.

“You have to look at your player profile before you decide your means of attack. If you have, like the Bulls did, players like Bakkies (Botha) then you can run over people.

“It is a little different at the Lions. We tend to run from wherever on the field and I get criticised for that. That has more to do with the team composition.

“The secret still lies in the variation that you apply. To change the point of attack.

“I have developed a method of attack that has worked for us. We haven’t struggled to score tries. We are all right with scoring tries and line breaks,” said De Bruin.

It is also perhaps worth noting he has been with the franchise for more than six years so his attacking strategies are bedded down.

“We have bigger, stronger players at the Springboks, when you compare that to what we have at the Lions in Warren (Whiteley), Jaco (Kriel) and Kwagga (Smith), Hacjivah (Dayimani) and Marnus (Schoeman). Those are lighter, more manoeuvrable players. You have to move your opponents around.

“Having said that, at the Boks, though, the players are bigger, they still have good skills. At test level you still have to score tries,” he said.

That was a point that the All Blacks World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry was at pains to explain in his time as consultant to Argentina on their entry into the Rugby Championship.

Los Pumas have retained their forward grunt and their ability to punt, but they now play with finesse and a dash of daring.

De Bruin reminded that it was imperative to play the conditions in test rugby and that sound judgment was a skill that could be acquired.

Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk played under De Bruin’s tutelage at the Lions but over the last year or so has wised up in his time at Sale Sharks.

“He’s matured in his kicking and his decision-making,” said De Bruin. “He’s a quality player. He’s unbelievably exciting. He’s got X-factor so it is nice to work with him again.

“I definitely detect more calmness and maturity,” said De Bruin.

Though the Boks are unlikely to counterattack like the Lions, De Bruin is excited by the prospect of Aphiwe Dyantyi and S’bu Nkosi operating alongside fullback Willie le Roux.

“I’m fortunate to coach a guy like Aphiwe at the Lions, S’bu Nkosi, as well as Warrick Gelant.

“They are exciting. You couple that with Willie le Roux’s experience. The idea is to blend the experienced guys with the blokes who have to learn.

“All the inexperienced guys need is time on the field. I definitely detect an amazing excitement which is great to be part of.”