Boks ready to pounce
TOUR OPENER: INJURY-RAVAGED ENGLAND COULD BE THERE FOR THE TAKING
Coach Jones may be feeling the heat, but Rassie cautious.
The Springboks are presented with a golden opportunity today to start their November tour on a high against a potentially vulnerable England side which is low on confidence.
With England holding a win record of just 38% this season after losing six of their last seven Tests, and with the hosts ravaged by injury, the Boks were gearing up to pounce at Twickenham.
However, coach Rassie Erasmus cautioned that England coach Eddie Jones was a master tactician, while the conditions could prove a major challenge for the SA side who had always struggled in wet conditions.
Erasmus nonetheless conceded that Jones would be “feeling the heat” without a host of key players, with Billy and Mako Vunipola, Chris Robshaw and Joe Launchbury among those unavailable through injury.
“You know about it and you read about it. I mean, it is all out there,” Erasmus said.
“Six games ago I was massively under pressure when we lost to Argentina and Australia. That is the way it goes in this job.”
It could not be forgotten, Erasmus added, that Jones had previously won 18 games on the trot.
“I guess when you get into a losing streak it becomes a little bit of a habit, but the last game they played they won, so they will take the positives out of that.
“But yes, he will feel the heat like all of us do when we lose a few games.”
There were also big question marks hanging over the Boks, with scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl being thrown into the deep end.
Erasmus, however, felt reserve Embrose Papier was a more instinctive player who was great on the hard ground.
“I think he (Papier) will definitely have an impact on this game but I thought given these conditions and the tactical way we want to play, Ivan was a better choice,” he said.
There was additional pressure on fullback Damian Willemse in his first start, but Erasmus believed this was a valuable opportunity for the player in the buildup to the 2019 World Cup.
“He is going to play in front of a full house with lots of pressure and a tough kicking game, so we will learn a lot about him and he deserves his chance.”
The Boks will be backed up by the experienced Willie le Roux, who had 50 caps, which Erasmus felt was a luxury.
“Luckily Damien has been with us for most of the Test matches and he is very comfortable in the whole set-up,” Erasmus said.
“Somewhere you have to start a Test match and I don’t think it gets much better than at Twickenham against England.”
Heinz Schenk
How did the Springboks come close to toppling the All Blacks twice in one season? How did the Sharks manage to claim a famous Currie Cup scalp over much-fancied Western Province last weekend?
How did the Crusaders – good heavens, a New Zealand team! – claim consecutive Super Rugby titles this year? They all played “Bok-rugby”. But what exactly is “Bok-rugby”?
“Bok-rugby”, until 2018, had been a curse word in South African rugby.
It was perceived as being indicative of everything that was wrong with our game.
People felt this type of gameplan was unimaginative, boring and lacking in skill.
It’s the reason why the admirable Lions became so successful.
For five years, they stayed true to their attacking roots – thrilling, ball-in-hand tactics that required no little amount of skill.
Yet of the elite sides in the world – under which Swys de Bruin’s team counts too – the Lions are now the exception.
World rugby’s best combinations don’t throw the ball around.
The Crusaders, Clermont, Ireland, Saracens and Leinster all play pragmatic rugby, based on solid defence, well-oiled set-pieces and ruthless, skilful attacking play WHEN IN SCORING RANGE. The last point is crucial. We’ve been seduced by fancy attacking play, one of linebreaks, off-loads and 20 phases of movement. However, all that matters are points on the board.
Running from deep inside your own half and gaining 80 metres is a magnificent spectacle … until some brilliant defensive organisation prompts a knock-on or a turnover.
And given how watertight topclass defences are nowadays, it’s plain arrogant to assume that you’ll score tries by the hatful.
The Springboks’ best way of becoming world-beaters again is to embrace their traditional strengths and the trusted template they’d forgotten until now.
This country has magnificent forwards, blessed not only with physical gifts but skill too.
They can dominate lineouts, breakdowns, scrums and collisions.
Jacques Nienaber’s defensive template already screams “World Cup success” in 2023 (let’s not be naïve by stating 2019).
And fine backs like Aphiwe Dyantyi, S’bu Nkosi, Damian Willemse and Handre Pollard don’t need to play over-exaggerated running rugby to show off their skills.