Springbok backline is an exciting mix of youth and experience
THE shock and horror of being dealt the Rugby Championship wooden spoon at Kings Park by Argentina has perhaps clouded the fact that there were a number of positives to come out of the matches against New Zealand and Australia, notably the Springbok backline manufacturing some of the best tries in the Championship.
This might sound like Heyneke Meyer attempting to conjure spin around those two defeats but it is a fact that the Boks played some of their best attacking rugby in years in those matches in Brisbane and Johannesburg.
They lost both of those games because they could not last the distance. They were the better side for three quarters of both games only to disintegrate in the final quarter, often when substitutions rattled their structure, but from an attack perspective they know they can create scoring opportunities against the best.
In Buenos Aires, in the return match against the Pumas, that attacking intent was shelved as Meyer reverted to a tactical game to grind out the win that was nonnegotiable after four straight losses dating back to Cardiff the previous November.
That tactical approach pointed to the way the Boks will ultimately play in the World Cup, particularly when they get to the quarter-finals and possibly further, but as attack coach Johan van Graan says: “We have not forgotten the spectacular passages of play we had against the Wallabies and the All Blacks. We have banked that in the memory, and the players know they can switch on the attacking mindset if and when it is required.”
In other words, the backline has more than one arrow in its quiver, and conditions permitting, they will have the confidence to exploit opportunities should they arise.
“If it is ‘on’, the guys can have a crack from anywhere on the field. They have done it before and while we will not be reckless, we will not be afraid to open the throttle on attack,” Van Graan said.
It is fair comment that much of the attacking thrust came from the explosive chemistry between Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel in the midfield.
At the start of 2015, Meyer would have envisaged his stock of centres comprising Jean de Villiers, Frans Steyn and Jaque Fourie, with De Allende in reserve.
Circumstance forced his hand, with De Villiers, Steyn and Fourie for various reasons being removed from the equation. Necessity is the mother of invention and the coach turned to an unheralded partnership of De Allende and Kriel, who proved sensational.
The return of captain De Villiers from injury has sparked furious debate as to whether the young midfield should be disrupted to allow for the return of the veteran.
It is a healthy debate, and one Meyer would rather have than not have. It means he has options. But De Villiers is always going to start if he is fit, and so it should be. He is massively inspirational and when he is in form he is an equally impressive attacking force.
Fate and providence might well play a role in solving the midfield debate. De Villiers might not make it back after breaking his jaw in his return to international rugby at Kings Park. These things sometimes have a way of working themselves out.
Let’s not forget that an injury to de Villiers in the 2007 World Cup opened the door for Frans Steyn to come in at 12 and play a key role in the Boks’ eventual success, including a crucial long-range penalty in the final against England in Paris.
The back three just about picked itself, with the possible exception of JP Pietersen, who is cruising on reputation and owes his coach a big World Cup. There are plenty of wings in South Africa who have been in better form than Pietersen.
Bryan Habana continues to be a massive presence in the team and has a habit of rising to the equation, while Willie le Roux has grown his game remarkably in the last two years considering he could not kick his way out of a paper bag when he made his debut for the Boks yet in this year’s Super Rugby competition kicked more than any other fullback, while preserving his natural flair on attack.