Why Bok bench can be a major weapon
DURBAN: There is a strong call to arms in South Africa whenever a player performs especially well for a game or two, they are heralded as the next incumbent Springbok in their position and any deviation from this elevation to the starting XV would be blasphemy.
However, Test rugby is many layered and being a replacement from the bench is becoming just as important a role all on its own.
Master tactician, and almost Stormers coach, Eddie Jones really reiterated this point when he went as far as to rename his bench for the past Six Nations Championship which England won.
No longer would those with 16 to 23 on their backs be known as replacements, they were now the ‘Finishers’, and that change in perception of those bench players gives a lot of insight into their role in the hostile and harsh Test arena.
Jones also adds that this rebranding is in line with his ‘Band of Brothers’ mentality. The extra importance placed within a role that traditionally always been been less enthusiastically taken up by the players.
No one wants to be on the bench, they want to be in the thick of things. But, if you are indeed seen as the cavalry, storming in to finish off the battle, relieving your tired brethren on the battlefield - a feeling of pride and purpose is instilled.
It must be seen that, in a Springbok camp that is also building back its culture, brotherhood and purpose must be at the forefront. The Boks are again playing the game for the man next to them, but they are also playing it for the men who are waiting to drop in and finish off the job.
The idea of a specialised bench is vital for a Test side, especially a Test side like the Springboks who are expected to beat all comers. And, the bench that has been doing the duty recently has the same continuity as the starting XV, and as such, has the ability to become its own powerful unit.
Moreso, the players who are coming off the bench for the Boks also fit into that idea of finishers. You have huge impact players who really can, and really have, been making the difference with 20 minutes to go.
Steven Kitshoff is an absolute machine for a burly prop. The young Western Province man is devastating in his core role as a scrummager, but he is also a huge threat with ball in hand and he truly relishes putting a big hit in on some tired bodies.
There have been big calls for the redhead to wear Tendai Mtawarira’s No 1 jersey, and no doubt he deserves the accolade of being a starter. But when it comes to the team’s well being, one needs to think outside the box.
Mtawarira would not be the type of player you could categorise as a ‘finisher’, but a steady, experienced head that can settle early nerves? Absolutely.
Others like Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jean-Luc du Preez are huge assets to be able to throw on once the grunt work has been done by Franco Mostert and Jaco Kriel.
Du Toit’s athleticism is hard to keep up with at the best of times, but to deal with that after being chased around the park by a rabid Mostert? The opposition must cringe at the 60 minute mark. The same goes for Du Preez who showed with one big bounce, that delighted one youngster in the Port Elizabeth crowd no end, tired tacklers don’t want to face these loosed beasts after an hour of giving everything.
Of course, other than being specialised finishers, the bench brigade do have to be multifaceted as they are also next in line to the position they cover. This is apparent with Francois Hougaard’s elevation to Ross Cronje’s jersey this weekend.
Hougaard is indeed a finisher who’s x-factor bamboozles when the game has cracked open a bit. However he also needs to show versatility and play the game that is presented to him from minute one.
Against the French, in the third Test, where he was the starting scrumhalf, he did not have a good game.
In Salta, Hougaard is going to have to curb his natural instincts a bit as this Bok team does not need outrageous passes and audacious runs from minute one. They need to feel out the Test match first, to ensure dominance on hostile grounds.