Boks game plan: if you like our style, we’ll change it
If it is the weekend of an England-Springbok match, then let the clichés roll. First up on stage, Maro Itoje, England lock: “SA haven’t changed the way they play since their first game in international rugby! Strong set-piece, strong kicking game, strong defence,” Itoje said after England had kicked the ball dead to draw against the All Blacks when they were in the match for all of 10 minutes.
Next up for a stab, I give you England coach Eddie Jones: “We probably need three jumpers against SA. It’s going to be a higher kicking game so we’ll have a look at that. Strong, brutal, physical kickers.”
There was some laager mentality thrown in for good measure after Jacques Nienaber tried to spin his way past a question on Rassie Erasmus and checks, lies and videotape, and managing to meander into the safer territory of game plans and tactics.
“From our side, we’re focused on rugby. I guess there will be many questions about Rassie’s ban. For me, as a coach, I can’t go into things like that. I focus more on the rugby itself,” Nienaber said.
“It’s disappointing for us when there are only certain facts getting out in the public domain. Of course, we fully understand why people form the opinions they have because that’s the only information at their disposal. They don’t know all the facts.”
Just the facts, man. But we can’t talk about the facts. We can, mused Nienaber, talk about the fact that the narrative about the Springboks is that they are “boring”, as he headed sho’t left from the razzle on Rassie.
“That’s what I mean when I say the facts aren’t all out there. People form an opinion on style of play. We can’t control the narrative that gets put out there that we’re boring, we don’t attack, we just kick, we just tackle. All the energy you put into that, you’re not going to change that narrative. If we’ll get respect, ever, I don’t know. As long as we’re comfortable with what we’re putting out there and what we’re trying to achieve, and are open and honest with each other and as a group — players, management, staff members — we’re happy.”
The Guardian suggested this week this was because the Springboks and South Africans are happy when it is them against the world. It feels like they need something and someone to push back against, an enemy to push the “them versus us” mentality.
You hope that isn’t so as it may work for them in the short term, but, hell, it will take its toll in the long story of this Springbok team.
But it does seem as if this is the way of things. The Boks quite like being written off. It lowers expectations and exaggerates successes. It’ sa weird way to play sport. It’ sa weird way to live.
To end, a look at Nienaber’s sigh that the world believes the Boks don’t attack, just kick and just tackle. The Times dished out some stats on Thursday. Which team kick the most in Test rugby? SA? Nope, France, in terms of kicks in play, and Argentina in metres gained.
“Furthermore, only New Zealand (4.2) and Ireland (3.7) have scored more tries per game on average in 2022 than the Springboks (3.3). When it comes to points per match, SA (28.6) are beaten solely by France (29.8) and the All Blacks (32.3),” The Times reported.
“No wonder Jacques Nienaber, and many of his players, feel as if the rugby world disrespects his side.”
Wait, there’s more: “This year, compared to 2021, they have nearly doubled their number of line breaks (2.5 to 4.8 per game), they pass the ball far more often (49% of the time, compared to 44% in 2021) and kick it far less (24 per match against 30.2 last year).”
The Boks play in more than one way. They arm-wrestled against Ireland, attacked France and ran Italy to pieces. In between, they have dealt with a director of rugby who has pushed the “us against the world” narrative to a new level.
Perhaps they are working up towards a perfect storm against England. Who knows what the Springboks will do against England on Saturday. They can be as tricky to predict as they are to watch. They have, Maro, changed the way they play because they have more than one way of playing. One thing they will be looking for: respect.