Food for thought after Four Nations
THE recently completed Four Nations competition taught us a few valuable lessons:
Flip makes four go into five
The Springboks looked short of jumpers in the middle of the lineout after Juandre Kruger and Andries Bekker indicated they were going abroad. Flip van der Merwe was installed in the crucial position against Samoa and passed with flying colours. He had, of course, played his U20 and varsity rugby in the No 5 jersey, but quickly answered questions about his suitability there at the highest level. Van der Merwe is by no means the finished article. His penalty count is too high and he is yet to prove himself against lofty lineout exponents such as Sam Whitelock and James Horwill, but next to Eben Etzebeth he does give the Bok middle row the mongrel it hasn’t had for years.
Willie le Roux’s wizardry cannot be denied
Le Roux made it into the side after coach Heyneke Meyer’s first-choice fullback, Zane Kirchner, injured a hand during Super Rugby. Le Roux’s appreciation of space and when to offload mesmerised in Super Rugby and he almost seamlessly transferred it onto the international stage. There will be some concerns about his defence and it is, of course a moot point whether Meyer will, against New Zealand in particular, entrust Le Roux to get into attacking positions in which he very much sees as the last line of defence.
Breakdown back-up
We knew this before the series but Francois Louw is an indispensable part of the Springbok starting lineup. What was less apparent was the chasm to the Boks’ next-best exponent at the breakdown. The Springboks were hamfisted when
Careful management of the players on a game-to-game basis should be a priority
Louw wasn’t around against Scotland, but the Bath flanker quickly restored coherence to an area that is often as clear as mud. “We must just go lower and harder,” Louw advised on his return. Marcell Coetzee and Siya Kolisi are fine ball-carrying flankers but the Boks need players for whom contesting at the breakdown comes more naturally. The coach wants to convert powerbroking loose forwards to do a job at the ruck in what he expects to be heavier playing conditions at the next World Cup. That carries merit, as does finding a suitable replacement should Louw not be around for the global spectacle. And while he ponders his flanker options, Meyer may want to do the same at No 8, where Pierre Spies again underwhelmed.
Serfontein the future
When he’s good enough he’s old enough, the adage goes, and it certainly applied to 20-year old Jan Serfontein’s elevation to the test ranks. Serfontein delivered some confident performances when he stepped off the bench that entirely vindicated coach Meyer’s decision to blood him. The midfielder is a game-breaker. His test call-up, as well the reintroduction of JJ Engelbecht, are crucial for the team’s backline development in the build-up to the next World Cup.
Less is more
Top-level players are exposed to far too much high-impact rugby. Even before the series, JP Pietersen, Dwayne Vermeulen, Andries Bekker and Pieter-Steph du Toit were on the sidelines, while Jano Vermaak, Arno Botha and Spies soon joined them. This season has seen an unusually high attrition rate due to players’ overinvolvement at regional and club level, in the case of the northern hemisphere, but the test schedule also needs revisiting. It has given rise to talk of the much-mooted global season, but in the meantime the careful management of players on a game-to-game basis should be a priority.