When I was young and naive I would sit in front of the tellie, watch the Springboks play and yell in protest.
‘Run the ball! Just run the damn ball!’ was usually what I would say, and not once but about a billion times.
Now when I say young and naive I mean in rugby terms, I’m only 20 years old. I became acquainted with the game they play in heaven in 2012, or more specifically during the 2011 World Cup.
My father, the second most knowledgeable rugby brain I know, had been watching and playing rugby since he was seven. But I, like my brother, had never taken to the appeal. But nevertheless as I did with Proteas in cricket and Bafana Bafana in football I watched the World Cup with him out of patriotism for my country.
And that’s where my rugby addiction began, strangely enough with the opening game: New Zealand versus Tonga.
After this game I was eager to see the Springboks in action when they took on Wales. When the time finally came I was both entertained and left wanting. The difference between watching the All Blacks and Springboks play was tangible.
It was clear and obvious that the All Blacks ran the ball very skillfully and the Springboks relied heavily on their power and their boot. After the Boks’ dismissal and the All Blacks’ coronation I eagerly wanted to learn more of the game and that is when my father explained every detail.
Fast forward to 2014.
After two years of contemplating, research, debate and countless hours of watching every Springboks, All Blacks and Wallabies games I could find since the 1980s here is my take on the Springbok game plan, how it needs to evolve and what it’s currently doing right.
The misconception I find among most South Africans is that we all want the Boks to play a carbon copy game of the All Blacks and Wallabies. I used to feel that way too, as I highlighted in the second sentence of this article. But after much deliberation I find that to be a mistake.
The All Blacks have their own unique approach, as do the Wallabies, it’s something ingrained in their histories and therein lies its beauty. It would be a crime to emulate these styles.
Make no mistake there’s a lot to learn from these magnificent teams, but applying a copy-paste method would be a mistake. Rather learn from them as they learn certain aspects from us.
I feel that the Springboks must still rely on their traditional strengths. They are their dominant set-phase and exceptional tactical, goal kicking and physical dominance. At their best no team on the planet can match the Springboks in these regards.
But their mistake is the over-reliance on these factors. Dominating these
aspects of rugby is always a great platform but it alone cannot win you games or at
least every game you play.
Balancing it out with running rugby and all round skill will help a lot.
Realistically the Springboks won’t ever match the All Blacks or Wallabies in running
rugby. It is possible but not probable, it’s just not in our development. But the Boks don’t need to outmatch them they just need to combine it with their true specialist strengths.
This is where I believe the Boks should draw inspiration from the Waratahs team of 2014. The Waratahs have combined the physicality most South African teams possess with the skillful play all the Australian teams possess. I imagine something similar would benefit the Boks.
There is no need to ditch their strengths but they must incorporate other certain aspects to their game like running good lines, learning to offload in the tackle and using more mobile forwards in the back line, like the All Blacks do with Kieran Read.
Imagine a Springboks team that does everything it does now but also has the ability to run the ball, offload and add diversity. Soften the opponent up and kicking for territory with the current style and suddenly strike with a free-flowing back line move. It would be a hard style to defend against.
Now, as I mentioned, my father is the second most knowledgeable rugby brain I know but the most knowledgeable rugby brain I know, sadly, isn’t me. It’s former Springboks coach and current SuperSport analyst Nick Mallet.
Mallet is very much disliked in South Africa because of his direct approach in commentary. In other words, when the Springboks are totally pathetic he will say so in those direct words, no beating around the bush.
But certain things he highlighted in 2012 and 2013 made a lot of sense for me.
He highlighted after the 16-16 draw against Argentina in 2012 that the Springboks’ ball carriers run into contact with a flawed technique. Looking closely at their big ball runners most of the Boks have the tendency to go to ground out of free will far too early than they should.
They make contact and fall to the ground, most likely with the assumption that doing so will secure a fast recycle. But this doesn’t put the opposition on the back foot. The Boks possess the best ball carriers in the world and should capitalize on that.
Mallet continued to say that for our game plan to work they must look to put in a leg-drive in the initial contact. It stands to reason that a retreating defence will be more vulnerable to a second phase of attack.
In 2013 both Mallet and former All Blacks coach John Mitchell highlighted another problem in the Springboks game.
Yes, indeed. Passion.
The Springboks represent a country politically, financially and racially in turmoil. The national government, the ANC, is in constant dispute with SARU for transformation. Not only that but they also carry the burden of living up to the legend of the 1995 World Cup.
But the biggest may be the pressure of being the team that former South African president Nelson Mandela chose to unite the country with.
“The Springboks rely far too much on passion,” Mitchell said.
“When they take to the field you can see it in their body language. They know the state of nation and they’re just too eager to win for the country before the match even started.
“When they fall behind they’re easily consumed by panic and they become rash and desperate. Passion can only get you so far.”
In contrast, the All Blacks switch off and become one-minded in their approach to perfect their performance. This is why they are so patient and clinical.
The Springboks need to understand that the game has evolved. The success they had in 2007 and 2009 can never be taken away from them, but to become the dominant force they once were they need to evolve as well, and keep up with the game.
This is my best potential squad of 23, excluding injury and commitments.
1. Tendai Mtawarira (186cm, 120kg)
2. Bismarck du Plessis (188cm, 114kg)
3. Francois Malherbe (190cm, 123kg)
4. Eben Etzebeth (205cm, 125kg)
5. Lodewyk de Jager (206cm, 123kg)
6. Francois Louw (190cm, 114kg)
7. Willem Alberts (193cm, 120kg)
8. Duane Vermeulen (193cm, 116kg)
9. Fourie du Preez (182cm, 90kg)
10. Handre Pollard (189cm, 96kg)
11. Bryan Habana (180cm, 94kg)
12. Jean de Villiers (190cm, 103kg)
13. Jaque Fourie (190cm, 105kg)
14. Damian de Allende (189cm, 105kg)
15. Willie le Roux (185cm, 90kg)
16. Coenie Oosthuizen (187cm, 127kg)
17. Jannie du Plessis (188cm, 121kg)
18. Adriaan Strauss (185cm, 111kg)
19. Pieter-Steph du Toit (201cm, 115kg)
20. Schalk Burger (193cm, 114kg)
21. Cobus Reinach (175cm, 85kg)
22. Patrick Lambie (178cm, 87kg)
23. Francois Steyn (191cm, 110kg)
With the proper guidance and evolution in game plan and tactics I believe this Springboks team has the ability to make a permanent mark in rugby history. The Springboks’ game plan requires evolution as the game of rugby evolves to stay competitive.
