All Blacks coach Scott Robertson might tip his hat to Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks for spicing up their game with some nifty tactics, but he’s quick to point out we’ve seen this movie before. Over the weekend, the Boks left jaws on the floor with a 45-0 thumping of Italy in Gqeberha, employing some cunning strategies that had everyone talking, including those in the All Blacks camp.
From the get-go, South Africa was playing chess not checkers. The match kicked off with Manie Libbok booting the ball forward to André Esterhuizen, who was strategically offside, setting the stage for a scrum. It was a bold opening move aimed at exploiting the Springboks’ scrummaging power. “That’s the great thing about rugby, you can be innovative, you can use your strengths, and surprise people,” Robertson mused. “It’s pretty unique, isn’t it? We’re talking about it, it’s great for our game.”
"It shows why you’re there – you’re there to scrum, and that’s a big part of our game,”
Robertson recalled a similar strategy from his days at Perpignan, where his team would intentionally send the ball out on the full to force a scrum at midfield. “We had a hell of a scrum. (We) kicked it out on the full, with the forward pack just standing behind the kicker,” he reminisced. “I was just ready to have a scrum.”
The Boks didn’t stop there. They also introduced lineout-style lifts in open play, cleverly setting up rolling mauls that led directly to tries for Canan Moodie and Malcolm Marx. This innovation drew mixed reactions, pushing the boundaries of traditional gameplay.
"We’re talking about it, that’s the good thing. That’s the point of difference from every other sport. People have got an opinion on it, World Rugby will look at it, and say play on, or do we change? But it’s pretty innovative.”
Robertson’s comments reflect a respect for the tactical evolution in rugby, acknowledging that while the Boks’ strategies may not be entirely new, their execution and timing continue to influence the global rugby conversation, proving that sometimes, old tricks can be just as effective when dusted off and thrown into a new game.
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All Blacks coach Scott Robertson might tip his hat to Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks for spicing up their game with some nifty tactics, but he’s quick to point out we’ve seen this movie before. Over the weekend, the Boks left jaws on the floor with a 45-0 thumping of Italy in Gqeberha, employing some cunning strategies that had everyone talking, including those in the All Blacks camp.
From the get-go, South Africa was playing chess not checkers. The match kicked off with Manie Libbok booting the ball forward to André Esterhuizen, who was strategically offside, setting the stage for a scrum. It was a bold opening move aimed at exploiting the Springboks’ scrummaging power. “That’s the great thing about rugby, you can be innovative, you can use your strengths, and surprise people,” Robertson mused. “It’s pretty unique, isn’t it? We’re talking about it, it’s great for our game.”
"It shows why you’re there – you’re there to scrum, and that’s a big part of our game,”
Robertson recalled a similar strategy from his days at Perpignan, where his team would intentionally send the ball out on the full to force a scrum at midfield. “We had a hell of a scrum. (We) kicked it out on the full, with the forward pack just standing behind the kicker,” he reminisced. “I was just ready to have a scrum.”
The Boks didn’t stop there. They also introduced lineout-style lifts in open play, cleverly setting up rolling mauls that led directly to tries for Canan Moodie and Malcolm Marx. This innovation drew mixed reactions, pushing the boundaries of traditional gameplay.
"We’re talking about it, that’s the good thing. That’s the point of difference from every other sport. People have got an opinion on it, World Rugby will look at it, and say play on, or do we change? But it’s pretty innovative.”
Robertson’s comments reflect a respect for the tactical evolution in rugby, acknowledging that while the Boks’ strategies may not be entirely new, their execution and timing continue to influence the global rugby conversation, proving that sometimes, old tricks can be just as effective when dusted off and thrown into a new game.