Questions mount for Springboks
| Italy refuse to bow to the much-vaunted SA forwards and instead give the coach a lot to ponder
in Padova SPRINGBOK coach Heyneke Meyer has been searching for answers throughout this tour, but he keeps finding more questions and yesterday Italy presented a few more.
What happened to the previously impenetrable Bok lineout and where is their ruthlessness on attack? Those are just two more questions for the coach to ponder before the season finale against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
It was never going to be an easy match against a fired-up opponent, but the Springboks’ Achilles heel of being unable to convert opportunities was glaringly evident again.
Captain Jean de Villiers felt his side were slightly better than the score suggested.
“This team doesn’t lack commitment. It might not be pretty, but we will win,” De Villiers said.
“We felt we were probably better than 16 points better than them.
“The bench made a difference and this team is shaping up nicely. We’re working towards what we want to achieve.”
The Boks dominated the contest and spent large chunks of time inside Italy’s 22m area. With that amount of territory and possession they should have scored at least two more tries in the opening half and several more after the break. They scored three in total but it could have been eight or nine and should have been five or six.
It was wasteful use of possession and field position, something that has plagued them all
They should have scored at least two more tries in the opening half
season. Against the All Blacks in Wellington they couldn’t convert despite spending much of the final seven minutes on New Zealand’s line.
Against Ireland in Dublin three weeks ago it was the same story as they wasted scoring chance after scoring chance, which cost them the game. Against Italy such profligate use of the ball was unlikely to lead to defeat, but it kept the home team interested.
It would be unfair to ignore that excellent Italian pressure and courageous defence created some of the Springboks’ problems.
Italy’s line held firm in the face of some heavy pounding and through their sheer bloodymindedness the Boks’ lack of patience was exposed.
But SA do not have the rapier thrust needed to reach the standards they set themselves. Those standards are set by the All Blacks and it’s hard to imagine that the world’s No 1 team wouldn’t have scored three or four more tries with that amount of possession.
Defensively the Boks gave another masterclass in physicality and brutality, cutting Italian ball carriers down comfortably.
The organisation is good and individually the Springboks relish putting in the big hits. It’s in their DNA.
Meyer will also be happy with how the scrum fared against one of the most respected front rows in European rugby.
Coenie Oosthuizen’s contribution to the contest was massive from his scrum work, where he eventually forced Matias Aguero to limp off shortly before half time, to his powerful ball carrying. His first-half try was a just reward.
Loosehead Trevor Nyakane also held his own against the formidable Martin Castrogiovanni. Despite one early scrum penalty against the Boks, when MID-AIR COLLISION: Bok wing JP Pietersen fights for the ball with Italy’s wing Luke Mclean during the test between Italy and SA at the Euganeo stadium in Padua yesterday Nyakane slipped, it was the visitors who had the upper hand until Gurthro Steenkamp’s entry in the final quarter.
The Bok lineout, however, did not purr along as serenely as usual. Uncharacteristically Adriaan Strauss and Victor Matfield failed to connect on two occa- sions deep in Italian territory and both possibly cost tries, or at the very least points.
Bismarck du Plessis’s first contribution when the Boks had a five-metre lineout was to overthrow Matfield. The great lock could only get his fingertips to the ball but it was scrappy for scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and the moment was lost.
Fullback Johan Goosen showed enough to suggest the experiment is worth pursuing in the future. After being beaten to an up-and-under while looking into the setting sun early on, Goosen enjoyed a good day.