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Boks in good space as focus shifts to obliterating Aussie bogey

rugby22 July 2024 03:30| © SuperSport
By:Gavin Rich
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Makazole Mapimpi © Gallo Images

Coach Rassie Erasmus will be acutely aware from past experience both as a player and a coach that many a Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign has come agonisingly short due to the Springboks’ failure to perform to their potential in Australia.

After an Incoming Tour phase to the southern hemisphere season that saw them win once against Wales at Twickenham, win one and lose one to Ireland in what proved an anticlimactic series against the world’s No 2 ranked team before their high scoring win over Portugal, the Boks now turn attention to conquering their Australian bogey.

Although the last gasp drop-goal at Hollywoodbets Kings Park that enabled Ireland to square the two match series meant the Boks didn’t hit target, which was to win the series against the Irish 2-0, they will head into the Rugby Championship in a good space.

While Erasmus will be the first to acknowledge that you can’t read too much into a game against a Tier 2 team, the skill levels shown by the Boks in executing their game plan against Portugal should have been a massive positive for him. When you carry the ball a lot there will be mistakes, but in Bloemfontein, as they did in the first half of the Pretoria game against Ireland, the Boks showcased their skill set.

One of the arguments that the protagonists for a more limited and conservative Bok game-plan used to have was that South Africa never had the players to play a more up tempo ballin hand orientated game that brought the outside backs into the game.

SO-CALLED NEW WAY IS WHAT SA FRANCHISES PLAY

That argument doesn’t really hold up any more, and it isn’t just because of the work that has been put in by Tony Brown since the former All Black flyhalf and Japan and Highlanders coach linked up with the Boks as the attack coach. It’s also just the way South Africans are getting used to playing now.

All the four franchises playing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship employ game plans that could loosely be called ‘total rugby’ templates, with a big emphasis on offloads, tempo, getting the ball wide when that is where the space is, and yet not eschewing the fundamentals of the traditional South African power game. When the situation calls for the direct approach, go direct, when it is on to play to the wide channels, do that.

In many ways it was a pity that the Boks didn’t get to play the game against Portugal before the Ireland series rather than after it. Going into the Ireland games off the attacking base created by the Bloemfontein performance might just have provided the momentum that was needed to get over the line as series winners.

There again, the Portugal game also provided Erasmus with an opportunity to spread his selection net, which might not have happened had the Portugal game joined the one against Wales as a warmup for the Irish series.

DEPTH GOES DEEP

And that’s where the Boks have scored most of all as they look ahead now to the Championship, which apart from the two away games against Australia includes what could be a seismic two game mini-series on home soil against the All Blacks before concluding with home and away games against Argentina.

“There are lots of players who can play for the Springboks now,” said Erasmus after watching his latest group of newcomers impress even though the team was down to 14 men for most of the game at the Toyota Stadium.

He didn’t specify who they were, but it is not hard to guess. As it turns out Pieter-Steph du Toit is likely to be available now for the two games in Australia, but Erasmus might just be tempted to give Ben-Jason Dixon a starting opportunity against the Wallabies after his busy and omnipresent performance against Portugal.

Dixon does look a good replacement for Du Toit when one is needed. With Franco Mostert, who was used in the blindside flank role when Du Toit was absent for stages of 2021 and 2022, out injured, game time against the Wallabies might just be the next step in Dixon’s development.

Another busy performer and stand out against Portugal was the starting hooker Johan Grobbelaar. In his case, playing against Australia in Brisbane might be necessity rather than Erasmus’ choice, for Malcolm Marx will still be absent for that game. He is expected to return the following week in Perth. Andre-Hugo Venter was good as a replacement too and was one of four debutants to celebrate the occasion by getting onto the try scoring sheet.

Of course the caveat that “it was only Portugal” does hold water, but you can only play what is front of you, and given that they were down to 14 men for all but two or three minutes, the Boks did very well.

AM AND REINACH SENT OUT A REMINDER

Apart from the newcomers making waves, with young flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu now having four caps to his name while embarking on a sharp upward learning curve, there were also some more experienced players in Bloemfontein who sent out a reminder of what they can bring. Top of that list is Lukhanyo Am. Jesse Kriel is rightly seen as the first choice at present after his good performances against Ireland, but Am showed against Portugal that apart from the brilliant work he did on defence in a trying situation after Esterhuizen was banished, he still has his explosiveness and stepping ability when he has ball in hand. Makazole Mapimpi scored a hattrick of tries to remind us he still has his pace and his drive for crossing the tryline.

Cobus Reinach might also be giving Erasmus a few things to think about. If the Boks are looking to quicken up their game and add attacking threats, the pace of Reinach and Grant Williams might just put them into the frame to displace Faf de Klerk as the go-too man at No 9. The point being that Erasmus has options there, and even more than that, for Morne van den Berg is in a similar mould to Reinach and Williams and also impressed in his debut.

Reinach and Manie Libbok were at the heart of much of what went right for the Boks on the attack in the first half. It was a pity that what was effectively a very good performance by Libbok was spoilt by his poor kicking from the tee. And with Feinberg-Mngomezulu looking so composed when he came on, and kicking every attempt he was presented with, there is intense pressure competition developing between the flyhalves in the squad.

But that is something that Erasmus will want, as indeed he should enjoy the quandary he must face as he looks at his options there for the Rugby Championship.

EVEN NAAS HAD THE ODD BLIP

Handre Pollard, who rectified his goalkicking failures of the first test in Durban a week later, must still be the first choice, but he looked uncomfortable at times against Ireland with what he was being asked to do.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu has all the ingredients that are necessary for the make-up of a world class flyhalf, except at this point experience. It should not be forgotten that he has hardly played in the pivot position for his franchise team, the Stormers. He tends to play inside centre when he starts at the Stormers, and has also played fullback, which was where he ended up playing most of the second game against Ireland after Willie le Roux’s injury.

If Erasmus wants an alternative to Pollard at No 10, he may still feel that Libbok is the way to go in the short term, which is why he started against Portugal - but Libbok’s goalkicking is a problem. Erasmus said after the game that he hoped Libbok’s travails from the tee were just a blip that all top kickers go through at some point.

“I am not a kicking coach (so can’t say what is wrong), but Tony (Brown) is trying to help him,” said Erasmus.

“You can ask Naas (Botha), even Naas had a few blips in his career. All players go through dips. But Manie’s general play is really good. It is a tough one to handle, because then Sacha comes on and slots everything, he also passes well and creates tries. We have a good group of flyhalves, with Handre, Manie, Gazza (Damian Willemse) and Sacha, and competition from the new guys.

“There is proper pressure on all the No 10s,” he added.

AUSSIE TRIP MAY SEE SOME EXPERIMENTATION

While the Boks will be eager to win in Australia as a first step towards picking up their first Rugby Championship crown since 2019, Erasmus hinted that it was a goal he believed could be achieved while still indulging in a bit of experimentation.

“The new guys in the team have done well and have given us more options and we must juggle a bit and give them more opportunities. Some will be slowly integrated, some might be part of the tour against Australia but not play against the All Blacks, but then be back for the games against Argentina. We’ve got a plan.”

He always has, and with none of the other Rugby Championship competitors really impressing during the incoming tours window - New Zealand were lucky to beat England and Australia beat Wales but the games were close - he should also have his eye on more silverware to go in the cabinet alongside the Webb Ellis trophy.


Weekend International results

New Zealand 47 Fiji 5

Australia 40 Georgia 29

South Africa 64 Portugal 21

Uruguay 5 Argentina 79

Chile 11 Scotland 52

Japan 14 Italy 42

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