How the Boks have become the most potent test team

OPINION: Tactical mastery between the “four set pieces” allowed the Springboks to take their attacking stats as well as their results to the next level in 2025.

The Boks thrashed Wales 73-0 in Cardiff this past Saturday to finish the Test season with a 12 from 14 win record.

These are unprecedented times of success for South African rugby, where the Boks win consistently between World Cups and lead the World Rugby rankings – as well as the key stats.

While some might suggest that further analysis is unnecessary, given that the Boks retained the Freedom Cup and Rugby Championship titles this year, and emerged with an overall success rate of 86%, it’s worth looking at where and how the group has improved over the course of 2025.

Records have tumbled over the past six months, as the Boks have romped to massive wins in Wellington, Durban and Cardiff.

Internally, Rassie Erasmus’ side has shattered most of the attacking records, scoring 81 tries and 572 points in a season for the first time since coming together in 2018.

According to a breakdown by rugby statistician Russ Petty, the Boks have been the leading tier-one nation for points and tries scored in 2025 – averaging 41 points and 5.8 tries per match.

The gap between the Boks and the next best teams is significant when you consider that Ireland and France averaged 35 points, while Ireland and England averaged 4.6 tries.

Those numbers are impressive, but don’t quite tell the story about the Boks’ progression.

Consider how the Boks have played since Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber first returned to the national side in 2018.

Primary stats – such as points and tries scored, as well as points and tries conceded – show how far they have come over the space of eight years.

In 2018, the average scoreline for a match involving the Boks was 24-24, with 2.6 tries scored and 2.7 conceded.

In 2025, however, the average scoreline was 41-17 in the Boks’ favour, with 5.8 tries scored and two conceded.

South Africa have won major tournaments and have finished the season at the top of the rankings before, but this may be the first time in the pro era where they’ve dominated the Test game while playing a balanced brand of rugby that maximises all of their strengths.

The game has changed since 2018, when defences held sway.

As the numbers suggest, Test rugby is currently in an attacking bubble.

“Tonyball” – the shape and philosophy pushed by attack coach Tony Brown since early 2024 – is only one piece of the puzzle.

The evolution of the scrum, maul and kick-chase strategies – the latter due to a law change in late 2024 – have all contributed to a boost in the attacking numbers, and ultimately the margin of the results.

Erasmus, Brown and Mzwandile Stick – who coaches off-the-ball movement and aerial skills – will be thrilled with what the Boks have achieved on attack this year.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been the poster boy for the team’s bold new approach, and recently finished the season with the most tries (nine) and points (120).

More should be read into the fact that the Boks have posed various threats across the field, and that 30 of the 49 players who featured across the 14 Tests scored tries.

The outside backs contributed 38.6% of the Boks’ tries last season. That figure has dropped to 22.5% in 2025, as more players across the board have found themselves in positions to cross the line.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s numbers are significant, but it’s worth noting that the halfback group as a collective has accounted for nearly a third of the Boks’ tries this season.

Malcolm Marx’s high strike rate (five tries) points to the Boks’ traditional strength at the maul and from close range, but André Esterhuizen – in the hybrid role – also contributed five.

Overall, the try-scoring load has been shared relatively evenly across the positional departments, and that is an indication of how the Boks have become a force across the court.

Another point of interest from Petty’s statistical breakdown was the number of kicks from hand.

The Boks are scoring more tries than ever before in the Erasmus era, and they are averaging a substantial 30 kicks from hand.

While the Boks are ranked third in the world in this department – England and Ireland averaged more in 2025 – they have increased their kicking output over the past three seasons.

Despite their reputation for pragmatic, conservative rugby, the Boks averaged just 22 kicks from hand in 2023, and 25 in 2024.

With the law change granting more access for the kick chasers over the past 12 months, the Boks have increased their kicks from hand by five per match.

And here’s where it gets really interesting.

The contestable kick has developed into another set piece, given that strong competing teams like South Africa have a good chance of reclaiming possession via a successful contest in the air.

In a sense, it’s the best attacking set piece, in that it offers the kicking side a chance to regain the ball, and then run at a fractured defence.

In 2023, the Boks reclaimed a total of 21 kicks (a metric that includes contestables as well as cross kicks and grubbers). They boosted that number to 29 in 2024.

In 2025, the Boks won a whopping 84 kicks back, averaging six per match.

To put that into perspective with the other three set pieces, the Boks averaged seven scrum wins a match, 15 line-out wins, and seven successful kick-off receipts.

The scrum dominated to a spectacular extent, averaging three penalty wins per match.

The line-out and kick-off performances were less emphatic, but there was growth and improvement in comparison to the displays across the 2024 season.

Consider how hard it is to play against a team that has the ability to control these four disciplines.

Much has been said, especially in the wake of the dominant performances in Europe, about the Boks’ strategy of forcing a scrum penalty, kicking to touch, and then using their maul to generate a try-scoring opportunity.

Less has been made about how the Boks have enjoyed so many scrum opportunities in 2025.

In many instances, they have failed to win the contestable kick but have succeeded in forcing the opposition to knock on.

That knock on has led to a scrum, which has occasionally led to a penalty, which has led to another attacking set piece deep in opposition territory.

This is yet another area in which the Boks have taken their game to the next level.

The Boks averaged 11 22m entries per match in 2025 – more than any other tier-one nation.

They averaged 3.6 points per entry – more than any other leading team.

While their execution has been far from perfect – the clash against Ireland serving as a clear example – they have managed to create more scoring chances and their conversion rate in the 22m has improved.

Special mention must go to the defence and to the overall approach.

As the average scoreline of 41-17 confirms, the Boks enjoyed a substantial points-differential (24), and barring the match against Australia in Johannesburg, they kept opposition teams honest for most of the season.

Another stat that speaks to the Boks’ defensive excellence, and to their tactical control of proceedings, is the number of opposition entries into the South African 22 (6.5).

Only Ireland (6.8) conceded fewer 22m entries on average, although the Boks conceded the fewest points (two) per entry.

The performances and the results of the past season will evoke various emotions and, in the minds of many, transcend the numbers.

And yet, the stats offer a rock-solid argument regarding South Africa’s standing in world rugby, and reveal exactly how far Erasmus’ charges have come over the past decade.

Yes stats do tend provide a rock- solid argument

Stats add value probably about 20% to what really happens in a game of rugby

The problem with stats is that they provide zero context and are often incorrect

But they do add value as part of the whole picture. Far, far from defining and cannot be relied upon alone

It's obvious to all but the MGU that Rassie has done an incredible job and is a worthy contender for the title of the greatest coach ever. Talk about EGG.

Honest stats are useful and can contribute to an understanding of the game. BUT there are three lies - lies, damned lies and stats. Stats being the worst of the three.

This famous saying has gained credence precisely because stats can be used by liars and the unscrupulous to manufacture a false picture. Hence they were used to try and destroy Rassie and Du Toit by you know who.

As I have said if you claim to be a Bok supporter and are still continually having a go at the Boks and Rassie there is something wrong with you.

Perhaps you need to find a team you can support.

The above article obliterates the MGU.

"Yes stats do tend provide a rock- solid argument"

Lol

Poor old mozzietard clutching at straws. Stats are often use to manipulate opinion hence the famous adage of Lies, damned lies and stats. Mozzietard tries to use stats to prove the absurd calls he makes re Rassie and Du Toit.

Bwahahahahaha.

Are you getting it yet Plumster?

...have you watched Moneyball?

Stats, like any great tool, are useless in the hands of the useless.

Great piece of work, however you should listen to Rassie on how he speaks about stats. He said he had about 15 guys come to him to tell him if he has the data he can tell him exactly what will happened, but Rassie counter was that, what if the wind blew harder and you can't throw to the backline, what if it is wet under foot and you don't get that dominance in the collision, what if the ref blows slightly differently to what you expect. There are so many variables, which I guess that is why Rassie has opted to play each game like a chess match. Why you see him yank players before half time and looking for moments in the game to get an advantage with small battles. We still haven't seen a perfect performance but in today's world how easy would that be.

Then, we just saw how the Stormers were able to use the bomb squad and bring on an entire tight five and how their fortunes changed which led to a legendary win against a very good Munster team at home and in the wet and cold.

I saw an interview with schalc brits talking about the scrum and how much energy it takes out of 8 players, how the lactic acid builds up and he said it is like pushing a sled in the gym and then still trying to run around for 80 minutes. That is probably why SA or teams that unload the bench in the 2nd half have the upper hand, but it doesn't mean you can just pack down and tire out the other team, you have to dominate them in the scrum, not only play for penalties but drain their forwards. We saw what happened to France and when we played England.

These are fine margins in the most professional era of rugby.

But great read none the less.