Return on investment
The overriding perception at present suggests that South African rugby lacks skilled players to employ a ball-in-hand approach. However, the invention and dynamism that the Bulls and Stormers’ back lines displayed this past round, for example, served to unravel that argument.
The Stormers scored some cracking tries, while the Bulls showed glimpses of their incredible attacking potential. I noted with interest how the Cape side’s offensive play revolved around Juan de Jongh and Damian de Allende, for instance. Meanwhile, the Bulls’ attack came to life as a direct result of the well-functioning triumvirate of Handré Pollard, Jan Serfontein and William Small-Smith.
During my tenure with the South African under-20 team, I had the privilege of working with the aforementioned talented trio. In regards to Pollard, still a member of the Junior Springbok side, I called for his inclusion as the Bulls’ starting flyhalf a few months ago. From first-hand experience, I know he is in possession of a well-rounded game. There’s no question the former Paarl Gimnasium pupil adds a further dimension to the Bulls’ attack.
Meanwhile, although the Sharks remain at the summit of Super Rugby, their attack clearly lacks bite. My question is: can the Durban-based side win the competition by only being defensive?
Perhaps as coaches, myself included, it’s high time to stop hiding behind the excuse that our players lack skill and rather admit that more time and effort is currently being spent on coaching defence, set-piece and a territorially-driven game strategy.
Attack is the most challenging facet of the oval game to coach, owing to the complexities that arise in terms of decision-making. Thus, the current perception that exists is that one must put in so much time for such a small return on investment.
However, when a team has been together for as long as the Stormers have, for example, I believe the next step in the evolution process is investing coaching time into one’s attack. By so doing, less time will then be spent on the previously developed areas.
While I must stress that attack must always be employed in the right areas of the field, I believe that the ultimate reward will far outweigh the risk. As Jean de Villiers pointed out after the Stormers’ four-try, bonus-point win over the Highlanders, “’we’re starting to eliminate the fear of mistakes".
However, the trick with employing a more ball-in-hand approach is not down to mindset alone.
While we might witness some pleasing progress in the coming weeks, I have a sneaky suspicion that our sides will take a step backwards before taking the ultimate step forward in terms of playing pattern and personnel employed.
With regard to the latter, we’ve already seen this occur with the Bulls' senselessly relegating Small-Smith to the bench after a highly impressive performance against the Cheetahs.
I could have understood that line of thinking had he endured an average or below-par game but the truth is he was fantastic. I counted at least five half-breaks from the player which, in turn, created attacking momentum for his side.
Thus, selecting the likes of Small-Smith and other young players sporadically is simply not good enough in my book…. If the attacking route is the one a coach has chosen, then give them a go!
Ultimately, I believe the seismic shift within South African rugby will only be truly felt when coaches take the proverbial plunge and make the conscious decision to invest their greatest proportion of time and energy on coaching attack, sound in the knowledge that there’s enough in the bank as far as the other facets of the game are concerned.
Do you believe your favourite Super Rugby side possesses the personnel capable of playing more than just a power-game? Share your views by posting your comment below….
