Attacking play can aid SA sides later in PRO16

The helter skelter ball-in-hand approach that we saw in the Kick Off Series may well be more to up fitness levels ahead of entry into European competition, but it also reminded us that at altitude at least, South African sides have a potent weapon that they can take into a Rainbow Cup and expanded PRO16 competition.

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Both the main games this past weekend – the shootout between the Sharks and Lions and the nail-biter at Loftus Versfeld between the Bulls and Stormers provided a massive uplift in both intensity and entertainment, showing that the call to up the tempo of the local game is not only necessary, but also something that when pressed, local sides can implement well.

The Toyota Cheetahs success in their last PRO14 season came on the back of a solid run at the start of the competition, played in spring and summer conditions and at altitude where they literally ran teams off their feet.

The up-tempo approach will need to be tempered for northern hemisphere conditions, but we all know that South African teams can slow the ball down if they need to. What we saw for the first time in a long while was the willingness to play at pace and at a tempo that would be more suited in Super Rugby.

One coach who believes the South Africans can exploit the tempo at altitude is Jake White, saying that teams will need to learn to “cope” with South African conditions and not just the other way around.

“I’ve said that this is a unique competition, as the PRO16 that we are going to go into, some of those games will be played in January/February in South Africa. I’m sure it’s going to be something that the northern-hemisphere sides will have to cope with,” White said afterward his side’s win over the Stormers.

“In this game, I think there was 38 minutes ball-in-play (time), and that’s incredible. To think at altitude, we played 38 minutes ball-in-play, you’ve got to be really fit to play that amount of rugby.

White said it was encouraging to see a side like the Stormers slowing down play.

“You could see at stages that the Stormers were on their knees, and that their medical and coaching staff were running on with water and slowing the game down. That is always great to see, because Bulls teams have probably always been branded as slowing the game down and playing with their forwards.

“I don’t think it is going to be such a great bonus for us now, because it’s relatively new for us. But I have no doubt if we can do this for six, seven, eight months, by the time they come here at the end of this year, and by the time we play those sides in those conditions in October, November, December here, then we will get the fruits.

“I think also that the South African national team will be able to get the fruits, because if we can all play like this – Japan play a certain way because all their clubs play a certain way. New Zealand play a certain way because all their franchises play a certain way.”