Lambie’s concussion the only remnant of 2016 ... enjoy the Bok renaissance
IF ONE week can be a long time in politics, a year in rugby can be a lifetime, and in the case of the Springboks, thank heavens for that.
It is only now that we have seen the Springboks play with esprit de corps and joie de vivre under Allister Coetzee that we fully comprehend the delayed start the Boks had in 2016, when they were left behind in the blocks and when they did get going, hit the ground with a resounding splat, and never got up again.
Let’s go back in time to that first Test against Ireland, the one where CJ Stander was playing for Ireland (and now finds himself in New Zealand playing for the Lions), and Pat Lambie was the flyhalf that Stander concussed.
Sadly, just about the one thread from last year to this year is that Lambie is again concussed.
Of that side that started in Cape Town against the Irish, only Tendai Mtawarira, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi were again in the run-on 15 at Loftus last week.
Not one member of last year’s first-Test backline started against the French.
It must be added, though, that among the reserves that day at Newlands were Warren Whiteley, Elton Jantjies, Jesse Kriel and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who were involved in some capacity last week.
That said, it still remains a huge overhaul in playing personnel in the squad of 23, over the course of one year.
And of that latter group of players who were on the bench, how significant an impact did Whiteley have last week in giving the team an effervescence that was so obviously lacking last year?
You could say he restored the fizz into what was a very flat 2016 vintage of champagne.
Equally, Jantjies added panache to the team’s attack given that he had licence this year to give carte blanche to his talents.
When he took over from Lambie last year, he looked dazed and confused. Not so at Loftus, and a backline that last year looked dormant the whole season, blossomed into life. Jantjies’ decision-making cannot be compared to how it was this time last year.
He not only passed when he should have but some of his kicking with the intent to create attacking opportunities could have resulted in more tries had he had a touch more luck. The way the team plays with ball in hand is what mostly captures the viewer’s eye, but a focus on defence will tell you what is really going on in a team, and what we saw in this regard at Loftus is massively encouraging.
Last year, the defence was, quite frankly, lazy. Few players showed urgency in getting back on to their feet and back into the defensive line.
It was an indication that little was well with that team in terms of morale. It is a team’s willingness to scramble for each other on defence that truly tells you what is going in that side.
Coetzee must be given credit for having a much better chance to show what he can do having had a proper pre-season (he was only appointed in April last year).
But there is also clearly evidence of the impact of Brendan Venter on defence (he repeatedly shows that he is one of rugby’s great brains), while attack coach Franco Smith’s influence was clearly seen in the width with which the backs attacked.
Venter’s nuances when defending were also obvious in the way the Boks shored up their defence when under threat and escaped the danger zone.
The Boks have given South Africans reason to smile again after the horrors of last year.
We should sit back and enjoy it after all that pain, and also be optimistic that a genuine renaissance is under way.