Boks must take lessons on board
Defence needs to be complemented by an equally devastating attack
THERE is a saying that you learn more from defeat than you do from victory, but the Springboks would have taken a lot of learnings from their 26-20 win against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Not their best performance since Rassie Erasmus took over the reins earlier this year, but the Boks showed guts and character against a Scottish team that has been devastating at home. It was never going to be easy for the Boks at Murrayfield, but Erasmus’ men showed plenty of fight and grit to add another win to their ever improving record this year.
While the Boks defence has been largely effective in thwarting a lot of the opposition’s moves and done so with brutality, there have been some issues especially out wide with the acres of space that usually open up.
The rush defence has certainly been good and has put teams under pressure in that they often have to make decisions in a hurry and that is where errors come in, but this defensive system also has flaws.
An unintended consequence of a rush defence is players missing tackles, which throws the entire defence into disarray and more often than not has fatal consequences for the defending side. The Boks have been able to counter this flaw through their scramble defence, but they will need to do more in getting their accuracy levels up ahead of facing Wales this Saturday.
As much as defence often wins teams trophies it needs to be complemented by an equally devastating attack which the Boks have shown to possess.
While the kicking game has been overplayed in the Tests against England and France because of the northern hemisphere conditions, the Boks showed how ruthless they can be with ball in hand with Jesse Kriel and Handre Pollard’s tries. As good as it was to watch and as effective as they are, the Springboks don’t attack as often as they should and with devastating players like Pollard, Willie le Roux, Aphiwe Dyantyi and Sibusiso Nkosi, the Boks will kill off teams by outscoring them.
Then there is the issue of the setpieces and rolling mauls.
The Boks have grown in leaps and bounds at scrum time and continue to be dominant regardless of the names in the frontrow.
The lineout has also been a crucial facet of the Springboks’ attacking game and blessed with talented second rowers, the Boks have stood head and shoulders above their opposition.
However, not every ball secured at lineout time needs to be despatched to the backs and the use of the rolling maul to gain yardage and rumble the opposition into submission has been an effective weapon for the Boks in the past.
While the Boks were brilliant in stopping the Scottish mauls, they need to turn to that part of their game and add variety to their war chest. And that bench needs to get some consistency in the impact they bring to matches.
So far on this end-of-year tour the Bok bench has blown hot and cold, while there have been some individuals who have put up their hands by being that difference.
If the Boks are to finish off their tour with a win against Wales then they will have to take the good and the bad from their performance against Scotland and ensure that they are a better prepared side and even more dangerous with consecutive wins under their belt.