Boks need to wake up.

After watching the Springboks fail yet again to negate spoil tactics it is clear that their tactics is still not up to par.

The list of matches against expected weaker teams that manage to stop us play at the breakdown is growing by the minute.

Since 2012 we have had the following matches where we had no answer to teams intent on flooding the breakdown with any tactics available to them.

The list now includes, Argentina, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and after tonight Italy.

It seems as if teams are so aware of our inability to read how various referees handle the breakdown, and our inability to adapt that their main focus is now to frustrate our clean ball, slow the match down by any means necessary and the sad fact is they are succeeding.

Here is a list of the matches and the referees involved in these matches.

Argentina vs South Africa Mendoza 2012 - Steve Walsh

South Africa vs Scotland Nelspruit 2013 - Romain Poite

Argentina vs South Africa Mendoza 2013 - Steve Walsh

South Africa vs Wales Nelspruit 2014 - Steve Walsh

Argentina vs South Africa Salta 2014 - Steve Walsh

Ireland vs South Africa Dublin 2014 - Romain Poite

Italy vs South Africa Padova 2014 - Garces.

That suggests to me that there is a pattern, now what is understandable are the two French referees, but what does not make any sense is Steve Walsh, as South African Franchises play under Steve Walsh during the Super XV.

Naas Botha said something very telling in the post match discussion tonight, South Africa does not get the ball wide enough where there are less forwards to contest the ball in the contact areas who can spoil attacking ball and slow it down.

Nick Mallet in specific was not happy with the manner in which the breakdown was officiated, neither was I, but that doesn't solve the issue as to why we cannot adapt to these spoiling tactics.

It is uncanny that teams have managed to irritate, dominate and spoil our breakdown ball especially when you consider we are supposed to be the most physical forward pack in general play in world rugby, or so I am told.

Are we truly that dense that we cannot figure out how to negate these tactics. Are we so dense that even though these teams play on the edge of the breakdown, we are the ones being penalised more often at the breakdown?

Are we that dense that we truly cannot read referees nor adapt to them?

Whatever the case may be, if Meyer and Richie Gray do not select the right players able to negate this issue, or coach our players a way to deal with this issue then we stand no chance of evolving our attacking play.

Talking of attacking play, without WIllie le Roux our attack is toothless and predictable. I fear for us when he gets injured.

The whole issue of our ineptness at the breakdown and on attack lies with our senior players not being able to adapt or run creative backline plays.

I do not know how many players we can blame for this, but it is definitely pathetic that we cannot fix this.

Watching the AUstralian back line attack tonight was an eye opener and made me realise that the only player in their backline that did not attempt an offload the whole evening was Adam Ashley Cooper, every other player managed to offload in contact.

WHat is also quite evident is that our forward runners have no support runners ready to take the offload, tonight a coupe of times our forward attempted to look for the offload but nobody was running off their shoulders in support.

Warthcing Ireland tonight was clear that they actually play the Bok gameplan of 2009, where they do not play from within their own half, they put many Gary Owens up, chase well and put Australia under enormous pressure.

The All Blacks after struggling to put Wales away in the first sixty, scored their first two tries to break the deadlock, from a chip kick and a cross kick.

South Africa has some work to do.

1. Adapt to the referee interpretations at the breakdown.

2. Adapt to what the opposition is doing at the breakdown.

3. If you can't adapt, then push the contact areas wider where there are fewer opposition forwards.

4. Our tactical attacking kicking is non existent.

5. Our midfield does not pass.

6. When their is turnover ball, get the ball wide immediately.

There are probably a number of other things, but these are major areas of concern.

Mozart, with all die respect, can you please end your endless agenda against Serfontein. 

He doesn't f...n step, he hardly ever does, and he takes the ball into contact a mere percentage of the time. Or do you want to blame him for every contact zone?

 What do you guys think of Paul jordaan?

I know he isn't the biggest center, but he has great skills and oo dles of pace

I think you are hasty in your judgement of Jordaan. 

Here is his defensive stats in SUper Rugby.

2012 - 6 matches

44 completed tackles

7 missed tackles

1 turnover won

2013 - 8 matches

62 completed tackles

4 missed tackles

0 turnovers won

2014 - 7 matches

80 completed tackles

17 missed tackles ( he played at 12 at the end of the season and missed 11 tackles, five of which was against the Crusaders in the semi )

6 turnovers won.

Average stats.

10 attempted tackles per match, missing 1.4 tackles per match.

Here is some videos of his attacking with ball in hand.

Nothing wrong with his hands.

"That suggests to me that there is a pattern, now what is understandable are the two French referees, but what does not make any sense is Steve Walsh, as South African Franchises play under Steve Walsh during the Super XV.

Naas Botha said something very telling in the post match discussion tonight, South Africa does not get the ball wide enough where there are less forwards to contest the ball in the contact areas who can spoil attacking ball and slow it down.

Nick Mallet in specific was not happy with the manner in which the breakdown was officiated, neither was I, but that doesn't solve the issue as to why we cannot adapt to these spoiling tactics.

It is uncanny that teams have managed to irritate, dominate and spoil our breakdown ball especially when you consider we are supposed to be the most physical forward pack in general play in world rugby, or so I am told.

Are we truly that dense that we cannot figure out how to negate these tactics. Are we so dense that even though these teams play on the edge of the breakdown, we are the ones being penalised more often at the breakdown?

Are we that dense that we truly cannot read referees nor adapt to them?

Whatever the case may be, if Meyer and Richie Gray do not select the right players able to negate this issue, or coach our players a way to deal with this issue then we stand no chance of evolving our attacking play."

This is the issue...now we are being drawn back into an issue with criticism of centres...in this case Serfontein.

The nail on the head, is the breakdown tactics and how we mundanely repeat them to our peril of referees interpretation...the ability of opposition sides to read us like a book and manipulate our easy to read style because we don't change, create or adapt. That's the real and core point of this thread, not Serfontein.

This is where changes are called for. Let's face it, we are dense...we fall into traps and repeat the same errors again and have difficulty in learning to change.

The AB's are not like like this...they change and adapt...even the French at their best do this...game plans and patterns vary game after game...we don't and so readable...

I'm certainly no expert but even a fool like me can see it...what is so embarrassing is the so-called experts cannot...it appears our coach even. That's I thought BB's points were very apt.