I copied the article Cloudy referenced below to help the discussion.
Can South Africa get out this mess? by Tony Johnson
It was seven years between tests in Durban for the All Blacks.
So much has happened in that time for the two great rivals, and the result on Saturday makes it pretty clear who is now ascendant and who is flat lining.
In the 2009 version the Springboks were in the process of dealing to the All Blacks three nil, with the All Blacks really only going close in one test, the third in Hamilton, and having their limitations ruthlessly exposed by a Springbok team still riding the wave after the 2007 Rugby World Cup triumph.
A big, powerful, and street-smart forward pack, built around the masterful Victor Matfield, with Fourie du Preez tormenting the ABs with pinpoint kicks, Bryan Habana chasing the ball like it owed him money, Morne Steyn in his point-scoring pomp, and, in the middle of it all, the class of Jean de Villiers.
That was a great Springbok team and they forced the All Black bosses to take a cold hard look at their own team and where they needed to get better.
From the rubble of that defeat were laid the foundations for the side you see today, one of the best to have ever played the game, perhaps the best. That has to be considered in contextualising the destruction in Durban.
On the other hand South Africa finds itself nearing crisis point, having been subjected to the worst home defeat of its existence, the magnitude of that defeat cruelly exposed in stats, which show the Boks barely able to win 30 percent of the ball and spending less than a minute inside the All Blacks 22….and that might have just have been the time it took for Morne Steyn's goal kicks to travel the distance.
Can South Africa get out of this mess?
Of course, although clearly there are issues that are going to take time to resolve. There are the much documented political pressures that so many people want to blame above all else, but from my observations it appears rugby in South Africa has also suffered from years of faltering, parochial, and, in some cases, self-serving leadership.
There are things that can be dealt with more readily.
A good start might be a rethink of the Springboks defensive system. Any professional sports team worth its salt will tell you it starts there…it sounds simple, but the adage is the fewer points you concede the fewer you need to win a game.
Spirited tackling kept the Boks in the Durban test, at least on the scoreboard, until half time, but if you hold back and allow a team like the All Blacks to run at you, you are going to get badly burned over the full course of the match.
The Boks chose not to get up and close down the All Blacks' time and space. So the most lethal attacking team that game has ever seen had the first five metres free every time to scan their options, make their choice and either move the ball or run hard at the space between static defenders. The Boks missed 40 tackles because they had to make 215. Yes, there was some poor individual execution, but they were compromised by the system.
The defensive issue was of course greatly exacerbated by the Springboks' aimless kicking. In 2009 the All Blacks were under constant pressure because of the pin-point accuracy of Fourie du Preez and the chase of Habana.
The 2016 version just lumped the ball down the All Blacks' throat, gave it back to them. The All Blacks, with twice as much ball, kicked about the same number of times, but more often than not were able to pressure the receiver, if not win it back. My, how that worm has turned.
When they did run the ball the Springboks tended to move it from player to player, without really trying to manipulate the defense, more looking for someone to break a tackle.
It’s a style of play that has traditionally suited South Africa’s powerful midfield backs, an almost instinctive desire to look for contact and try and bust tackles. The game has moved on though, most defensive screens are pretty good, and so while the All Blacks will still take contact when need be, they have spent the last few years developing ways of finding space.
Rohan Janse van Rensburg looks a fantastic prospect, hopefully he won’t go down the same path as some of the other centres of recent years.
The current coach staff are clearly struggling, but there has been no succession planning so every new coach starts from scratch. Besides, you can’t lump all the blame on them for problems that are endemic. A greater accent on skills, fitness, and decision-making across every level of the game will allow the powerful and fast athletes you produce to realise their potential.
Eddie Jones is right. The Springboks don’t need to try and play the All Black style, but their style is in need of an upgrade. The Lions showed this year it is possible to marry traditional strengths with a new age approach.
Off the field things get very complicated.
The hope has to be that the current administration can try and work WITH the government so that solutions can be found without the need for such drastic measures in future.
I do wonder if those who defended the policy of allowing players to be selected from overseas are now prepared to admit it is proving counter productive?
New Zealand's economy isn’t exactly up in lights either, but the New Zealand Union has stood firm in its policy and is reaping the rewards. They control the workloads, injury management and development of the elite players, at the same time upholding the integrity and quality of Super Rugby and our domestic competition the Mitre 10 Cup.
It also means they can groom players for the years ahead, and their succession planning has proven to be spot in, with the loss of Carter, McCaw, Nonu and co hardly noticed.
In contrast Saru has to haggle with disinterested European clubs over the availability of players who then turn up for test rugby in less than peak condition, and all the while the Super Rugby and Currie Cup standards are being lowered.
I see now that Eben Etzebeth is going to Saracens, which is a terrible blow for the Stormers. He gave his all in Durban, making 12 tackles and missing none, but his ball carrying hasn’t been so good, perhaps he has been a bit blunted because of his off-season time in Japan.
Again this is a situation NZ Rugby has tried to manage by allowing a few elite players the option of a “sabbatical” season, making some big hay offshore, in return for a longer commitment to the black jersey.
I would hazard a guess to say that there are similar numbers of New Zealanders, or products of the New Zealand system plying their trade offshore as there are South Africans, but with very few exceptions, the ones who want to play for the All Blacks are in New Zealand. South Africa has never tested that loyalty.
Look, its easy from a distance to say “do this, do that”. We’re not in the same boat, and any suggestions or criticisms from a Kiwi perspective are offered with the utmost respect.
New Zealanders would always celebrate a 50-point victory over the Wallabies because of the “little brother, poor relation, chip on the shoulder” attitudes that blow back and forth across the Tasman Sea. But while New Zealanders were thrilled with the All Black performance, they took no great pleasure out of the Springboks humiliation. It’s a rivalry that has been controversial, brutal and at times fractious, but it is the best there is.
It can continue to be, it needs to be, and I’m sure the Boks can bounce back, but there is much work to be done. A gathering of coaches is a start, but only strong leadership in the halls of power can really get the job done. Sometimes, as we in NZ know only too well, it can take a humiliating defeat to prompt a much needed shake up.
