The Springboks have made good progress on their end-of-year tour
Former All Blacks, Force and Lions coach JOHN MITCHELL analyses the Springboks' performances against Wales and Scotland, and looks ahead to the Test in Paris.
I am really enjoying watching this Springbok team and seeing growth in the areas I addressed in my SA Rugby magazine column in the November issue.
REVISTING THOSE POINTS
The Boks are keeping their world-class players on the field (and not making unnecessary substitutions), their scrum has been dominant for 80 minutes (the second-half scrum is improving), they are creating the right team mix (while the middle jumper is still not known, they are developing some depth at tighthead) and Pat Lambie stood flatter on attack when he played at flyhalf against Scotland.
The Boks are still kicking too deep at restarts and should try to regain possession from short restarts, but they have been winning contestable kicks with Fourie du Preez at scrumhalf (his execution was excellent against Wales and Scotland and the Boks will miss him in Paris). Their exit-kicking plays, when required, have been done with ease on this tour and they are still looking for run/pass space.
South Africa's forward defence has not been tested like it was in the Rugby Championship. Wales and Scotland's ball-carriers were very square, which suited the Boks' tackle technique and targeting. They also haven't been tested on scramble defence, apart from when Jonathan Davies breached their line early in the Cardiff match.
In terms of strength and conditioning, I assume that at this time of the year pre-existing injuries are being managed and some players are not fully fit. Heyneke Meyer must have individual specific conditioning and conditioning blocks for his players going forward and the ability to work together with each franchise during Super Rugby preparations.
The Boks have scored back-to-back points and are keeping the ball inside the field of play more often than not.
Let's now look at the patterns emerging from the Wales and Scotland Tests. The only strengths I saw from those two sides was the singing of the national anthems (which are worth the ticket price alone) with the Springboks' intelligence, passion, caring and togetherness making them a far superior side.
PATTERNS AGAINST WALES
The Boks effectively used the lineout to launch attacks and get into shape off No 9. They also stole and disrupted Wales' lineout ball.
Regarding contestable kicks, they brought Leigh Halfpenny forward and won more ball than they lost. They also managed to prevent him from running and kicking for space. In fact, it was the Boks who were able to attack more from the little turnover ball that there was.
Du Preez found kick-space regularly and Jean de Villiers's try came from a kick-receipt breach. Bryan Habana drew his forward defender off his line by arcing and straightening, with the support coming from behind the ball (instead of laterally) for De Villiers to score.
Bismark du Plessis' try came from a driving lineout and he went through the A and B defenders with ease.
The Boks got one yellow card because of stupidity that you do not expect from Francois Louw, but they never got frustrated by the referee's decisions. As for the sending-off of the props (Coenie Oosthuizen, who had just come on, and Gethin Jenkins), what was that all about? Was Alain Rolland worried about self-preservation ahead of the next World Cup or was he just guessing? He certainly does not look like a person who is enjoying his game.
Finally, the Boks did well to not concede a try.
PATTERNS AGAINST SCOTLAND
The Boks again effectively used the lineout to launch attacks and get into shape off No 9. They took 20% of Scotland's lineout ball and by disrupting their ball, they disrupted their attack.
South Africa used multiple forward runners when attacking off 9, which denied Scotland the opportunity to come forward defensively and they had nothing to hit.
Scotland's ball-carriers were less square than Wales', and by riding the shoulder of the defender they kept their feet alive. The Boks supported and got over the ball quicker than Scotland.
JP Pietersen's try came from a kick-receipt breach. Willie le Roux dummied wide – the Scotland defender took the bait – and the fullback was off. He showed great awareness of kick-space and his kick for Pietersen was well-executed.
The Boks scored two tries from lineout drives, with the shift drive forcing the Scotland defensive lineout to move, by which time the maul had been set.
This match was the most accurate I have seen Coenie Oosthuizen at tighthead prop, although he was scrumming against Alasdair Dickinson.
South Africa again conceded a yellow card, with Marcell Coetzee paying the price for the Boks' constant infringements at the breakdown.
The Boks again did not concede a try and clearly wanted to keep Scotland at zero. Pietersen's tackle on David Denton on the sideline was a copybook one – tracking with feet alive and eyes on target, shoulder on and finished on top – although the face mash on the former Kingswood College pupil was a little uncalled for (where did JP go to school?).
While South Africa won comfortably, I think this match was a lost opportunity for development in terms of giving the younger players a chance to experience the duration and demands of a Test match. Why did Pieter-Steph du Toit not start?
FOCUS ON FRANCE
The above patterns will appear again in Paris on Saturday. As long as they get the preparation right, bring the performance and are mentally strong I do not see France as a major hurdle. Les Bleus may turn up emotionally but even that is not enough these days as rugby is now a game of intelligence first.
As the French backs are more evasive and elusive compared to Wales and Scotland's, they will ask more questions of the Springbok defence laterally and in terms of the repositioning of their feet to make the tackle. The French backs also stay very tall in their running line.
Discipline will be key, because I am sure the emotions of both teams will boil over at some stage. Who will keep their composure?
FINAL THOUGHTS
The competition for positions is creating depth naturally for the Boks. They are developing a bench that can change the tempo and intensity of a game instead of seeing it as non-selection gratification.
The Boks' trajectory is continuing upward and the trust is building, but a blip does create a negative perception and that's not nice to hold on to for the whole of the summer, until the next Test in June. The All Blacks know how that feels after losing to England last year and the Boks won't want to experience something similar against France.
This Bok team has out-thought opponents this year and the Paris Test will be all about winning the mental battle.
Bring it on!
