Not sure what has happened this year, but our SA sides have been not been nearly as effective as usual with the driving mauls.
Not sure if the opposition is allowed to "swim" more to prevent the momentum, or if is a case of the refs being more strict on the supporting players only entering the maul from the very back.
However it is concerning and perhaps the main reason our teams are mostly languishing at the bottom of the log.
Not sure what the percentages are for the amount of tries scored by the mauls, but last year surely it was the main source of kickable penalties and tries.
The Cheetas are the only SA team that is potent in back-line attack, and they have buggered up their season with poor defence. For the Sharks, Bulls and Stormers the maul is the primary attacking weapon to either score tries or pull in defenders before going wide.
I hope this trend does not continue at Bok Level. Although with Matfield calling the lineouts and kickoffs, and our other top forwards we should be able to get the maul going forward.
