Youngs: We have to find a way to stifle live-wire De Klerk
Scrum-half says Sale No9 is key man for Boks England work on their defence and discipline
Ben Youngs, the Leicester scrumhalf, has acknowledged that the series against South Africa will be lost unless England manage to shut down his opposite number, Faf de Klerk, with far more efficiency than they managed in the first Test in Johannesburg.
The Sale scrum-half orchestrated events, scoring a try himself and setting free a Springbok back-line that ran in five tries. There was little urgency or cohesion to the England defence in and around the base, leaving the blond-haired De Klerk to create havoc all over Ellis Park. England are well aware of their shortcomings as well as the consequences of a repeat display in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
“We can’t defend like we did at the weekend, allowing him [De Klerk] to do what he wanted on the front foot,” said Youngs. “Faf is lively, he gets out, he challenges around the ruck, has good distribution and can chuck it long. He and Willie le Roux were absolutely key in getting South Africa’s points and turning it around for them.
“We were leaving doglegs, we weren’t getting set early enough, our spacing on the ruck was really poor and, if you give De Klerk that [space], he is going to cause you
‘You have to limit the amount of time somone like Faf gets on the ball. He is a good operator’
trouble and he did. He is a live wire. It has been a big focus this week to get set early in defence and to get the spacing right – doing things we normally do. We were sitting off him and letting him dictate the play to us.
“If you invite guys like that to run at you, they will pull you about. It was the same with Le Roux in the wide channels. Again, we were way too passive. We let him do what he wanted. He got the ball, got time and space and manipulated the edges brilliantly. We didn’t intend to defend like that.
“Everything we have trained for this week is to get back to the way England defend.”
Youngs is not alone in being responsible for shackling De Klerk. The forwards did not manage to get their hands on the ball for long stretches after England’s three-try, whizz-bang opening and were bossed at the breakdown. Poor discipline also cost England 17 penalties, four in succession.
“We gave away a combination of penalties and that gives the opposition easy possession and momentum,” said Youngs. “You have to limit the amount of time someone like Faf gets on the ball. There has been a big emphasis over the last few days of making sure we get everything set early. Faf is still a good operator and he will still be able to cause trouble but [if we close him down] we give ourselves a damn sight better chance than what we were doing at the weekend.”
For that to happen, England have to strike a balance between inner rage and cool-headed execution. Getting pumped up alone will not suffice, as was shown when De Klerk scored his try in the 21st minute to trigger the Springbok resurrection from a 21-point deficit.
“When Faf scored his try, you can see that Maro [Itoje] is desperate to put him under pressure but he’s too eager, goes too early, then tries to pull out and comes up with nothing,” said Youngs.
“It’s a fine line. If you’re offside you might as well take him rather than give up the try. That balance was off at the weekend. We’ve got to be more clinical and accurate but rugby has always been a game built on emotion. If you’re not there emotionally you’ll be blown away. The first 20 minutes we were there but then we got a little bit rattled and couldn’t sustain any pressure. We want to be there emotionally, then cap it off with the accuracy.”
England will do all their preparation down at sea level in Durban before heading to the Highveld tomorrow afternoon, knowing they have one last chance to salvage credibility from a disappointing season with a victory in Bloemfontein. It was there Clive Woodward’s side won in 2000, only the third (and last) English win against the Springboks on South African soil.
“We do need to make a statement and then back it up in Cape Town,” said Youngs. “We need to take the positives from last weekend and do them better.”