South African rugby is at the crossroads and needs an injection of innovative thinking and a ball-in-hand approach if it is to dominate the game again, according to the Cheetahs and Bulls coaches, Franco Smith and Nollis Marais.
With Springbok rugby lagging further behind reigning world champions New Zealand, Smith and Marais are calling for a fresh look into the way South African Super Rugby franchises play the game and believe that a more expansive approach similar to that which the Lions adopted a few years ago could rescue and resuscitate the game going forward.
It might seem like a cry in the dark from two coaches whose teams have failed to make the Super Rugby play-offs, but both agree that the Lions have set the trend for how the Springboks should play the game if they are to make up ground against the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises and ultimately the All Blacks.
The Lions have been by far the best South African Super Rugby franchise and through their enterprising and expansive brand of rugby have climbed to the top of the standings defeating all the South African franchises and some of New Zealand’s best teams in the process.
It is by no measure of luck or good fortune that Lions coach Johan Ackermann has been able to steer his team to play an attractive and effective brand of rugby. It comes from the blueprint established by former All Blacks mentor John Mitchell during his time with the Joburg-based franchise a few years ago.
Ackermann has tweaked the plan here and there but kept the foundation laid by Mitchell and the one year the Lions were out of Super Rugby helped them get comfortable with their new game plan before unleashing it against the rest of their competitors.
After spending years abroad honing his coaching talent, Smith, pictured left, says he returned home to try and help transform the way South Africa play the game.
And this was evident last year when his Shimlas team swept all and sundry to be crowned Varsity Cup champions without conceding a defeat.
There have been glimpses of that running rugby, without forfeiting the traditional strengths of the South African set-piece play and physicality, during the Cheetahs' Super Rugby campaign this year. But Smith says it will take time and backing for the game to evolve in the country.
“We all know that in South Africa we want to play a different brand of rugby. I came back from abroad to contribute in that regard. I’m sure South African rugby can be much better with ball in hand," said Smith.
“I think we are at a crossroads. I’m here to promote running rugby and the ability of players with ball in hand like I feel most people in South African rugby are thinking towards. The Shimlas did well in adapting to what we want to do and it is possible.
“Unfortunately, to build at Super Rugby level is different. The Lions had the opportunity during the year they didn’t play Super Rugby to build so we at the Cheetahs are looking to be better in years to come.”
Marais concurs with Smith but emphasised the fact that South African rugby still needs to be true to itself and not forego what made them so powerful in the past.
“I think you have to have a good mixture. You still must be true to your DNA with our big, strong forwards who run around the corners but we also have to be more innovative than we are at the moment,” Marais said.
Marais, though, questioned whether rugby bosses and the rugby public will be patient enough to allow for change to happen and for there to be an understanding that there will be pitfalls and lows before the highs and euphoria that comes with being Super Rugby and world champions.
“The thing is, will the South African public be patient or will results be the main thing at the end of the day? The Lions for a year didn’t play competitive rugby and they had the time to do it but for us at the moment it is very difficult because we are playing Super Rugby. We will have to be innovative going forward and must have a good mixture between good set-piece play and running rugby.”
While the Bulls will be kicking themselves for narrowly missing out on making the play-offs this season, Marais says he had pleaded with the board of directors at the beginning of his tenure to be patient and accept that there will be shortcomings, but that in time they could replicate and achieve even more than the three Super Rugby titles gained in their golden era between 2007 and 2010.
“I said from the beginning to our board that we are going to play a different kind of rugby and it won’t always be easy because we have players here who have never played that way before.
“We bought players like Lood de Jager and are busy with other players as well.
“If you look at the players we have at the moment, they are the kind of players that want to run more with the ball but it’s going to take time to get that process going.
