In his final column, ex-Wales centre Scott Gibbs reviews a hard-fought test series between the Springboks and Dragons. He talks about the pitfalls of a six-two bench split, why Damian Willemse is a marvel and how joining the Six Nations is a long-term solution for South Africa…
The third and final contest was a thrilling test match at a beautiful setting and I enjoyed the stadium experience. Owing to Wales’ form ahead of the series, it could quite easily have been a 3-0 whitewash but they gave a good response in South Africa after the disappointment of the Six Nations. It turned out to be the perfect tour for Wales to rebuild confidence, restore some belief and explore a few other positions. Heading into a World Cup year, Wales coach Wayne Pivac will now have a better understanding of his squad’s resolve.
Ultimately in a three-match series, you figure out ways in which you can impose yourself and the Springboks did that. Siya Kolisi, who was disruptive and physical, set the tone for the home side but the injury to Cheslin Kolbe underlined the catch-22 of the six-two bench split.
WILLEMSE SHOULD HAVE WINGED IT
Conventional wisdom would suggest that you shift Damian Willemse to the wing and play Willie le Roux at the back. However, the Springbok coaching staff opted for Willemse at centre and suddenly everyone was in an unfamiliar position.
The material effect was that the complexion of the backline changed which altered the communication and the ability to do what they do well. I didn’t quite get the backline reshuffle because you still need to have a centre combination that is closer to the action.
That said, you cannot help but marvel at the skill-set that Willemse possesses. There is a positivity and sense of deliberateness in everything he does and a delicious prospect will be to see him enjoy more game time during the Rugby Championship. The fact is that there is very little error rate in his game and he seems to be at the heart of everything that is positive from an attacking perspective. He was also solid under the high ball, and it’s brilliant to see he has such a high game intellect.
Kudos to Willemse who played on with ankle and elbow ailments. There was no quarter given from either side and I dare say that the Boks would have been banged up as well. It was a physically brutal series and the Boks will also be sore post-test because Wales didn’t relent and were there until the final whistle. I think it was the right type of series which South Africa needed in lieu of what’s ahead, with the Rugby Championship commencing in August.
BOKS IN SIX NATIONS A NO-BRAINER
The Sanzaar partnership has been agreed upon until 2025 but, for me, the Springboks joining the Six Nations is a no-brainer. From a Welsh perspective, I’m staggered to hear the push-back on the subject but it is a political hot potato at the moment. Personally, I think there is a groundwell for South Africa’s inclusion and I only see a win-win scenario. The advent of South Africa joining the Six Nations would strengthen the competition. There would be more eyeballs on the game and rugby tourism would be on the up.
Off the back of this tour, the Welsh boys would be saying to themselves: “We have to get better and become more competitive on a domestic front.” In light of the United Rugby Championship, there seems to be a natural progression for the Springboks to join the Six Nations but it’s a topic that touches a nerve with many up north but not with me. I’m all for South Africa’s inclusion.
NIENABER’S MEN FINDING RHYTHM
In the immediate future, the Springboks will have two home matches in the Rugby Championship against New Zealand. Ahead of the July test series, South Africa needed to find some sharpness and an intensity. At the moment they are quietly simmering over. I can see that Jacques Nienaber’s men are trying to find a rhythm in their backplay which is coming but it will have to be heightened against the All Blacks in a couple of weeks’ time. However, the great thing is that the Boks won’t overthink it and know exactly what they need to do against the All Blacks. From what I have seen over the course of the series, this is still a very fit and vibrant Springbok squad that boasts plenty of talent in their proverbial toolbox.
ALL BLACKS LICKING THEIR WOUNDS
Against Ireland, the All Blacks lost successive home tests for the first time in 24 years and there is a lot of rhetoric in terms of whether the appointment of Ian Foster was the right one and who could potentially take over from him. I’m not too sure whether they will be panicking too much behind the scenes because there’s never been a question about the depth of talent the All Blacks possess. It’s just about having a conductor and ringmaster to pull them all together. If Foster remains as head coach, I dare say that the Springboks will be putting more pressure on answering that question. But the All Blacks, who have slipped to fourth in the world rankings, will lick their wounds, come together and look to find some sharpness before the Rugby Championship opener against the Boks at Mbombela Stadium.
***Gibbs was man of the series when the British & Irish Lions beat South Africa 2-1 in 1997.