What the hell is Traditional SA Rugby?

One has from what Mozart constantly write on the site about Traditional Springbok Rugby deduce that the term embrace ;-
*   Forward and especially Tight 5 domination of opponents and the loosies are basically an extension of the Tight 5;
*   The key function of the halfbacks are to kick balls - with very little attacking play and bringing their part in defense;
*   The backline players function is basically to defend with \virtually no backline usage in attacking.
Are these facts actually Traditional Springbok Rugby?   One has to look at various aspects in the above assessment:-
Forward (Tight 5) domination 
In the initial amateur period the Springboks had for years dominant Tight 5 members.   Most forwards were heavier and taller than their counterparts basically because the forwards were mostly farm kids where hard physical labour was the norm and the kids had very healthy food served as well.   By the 1950's the competition became fiercer - first by NZ and later on by the NH teams as well.
During the late 1980's the nature of the game played in SA changed drastically.   The situation developed that the Bulls dominated the SA Rugby scene and the game became exactly what Mozart wrote about in his frequent emphasis as summarized above.   So what he describes as Traditional SA Rugby was in fact the Bulls game of the late 1980's
So onto the professional era.   This era was noted by the total change  in the Tight 5 situation.    Nutrition specialists came onto the scene and from school age the players got special nutritional menues.    Coupled to that gym training took over.   Fact is that over the past 25 years a scenario developed where no national team can actually claim Tight 5 domination.
Loose forwards usage
The initial idea was that the loosies was basically an extension of the Tight 5.   Very few loosies had the necessary ball skills to play an attacking game.   The idea over the years developed into a situation where the loosies could effectively not -
*   link with backline players in attacking play;*   protect and recover balls in breakdown situation; and *   could defend in the channel - but defense wider out was not their forte.
The Bulls game plan was for the scrumhalf was to pass the ball back to the loosies or other forwards negating the backline usage.   This system remained until 2015 when it was frequently used in the 2015 WC.   
In the professional era the situation became increasingly embarrassing with loosies not meeting international requirements.   Under Meyer - an adherent to the Bulls game plan of the 1980's to 2015 - the situation was that three paceless loosies was on the field and Meyer realized that ball protection and recovery was missing.   He hired a Scot coach specializing in ball protection and recovery and the situation improved slightly, but the loosies remained the weak link in SA rugby.  
The Traditional SA Rugby concept as discussed by Mozart caused a serious deficiency in rugby development in respect of the loosies and over the last 25 years it was this aspect which really became problematic and cause serious losses in games.
Backline performance
In the 1950's and 60's the role of the half-backs was to play what today in most countries is standard half-back play.    There was some really good halfbacks, centers and ousisde back then and attacking rugby was used frequently.   Some players received international recognition and the case of a Maori family naming one of their children after Jannie Engelbrecht is famous.   Top players included Rosenberg, Stewart, Gainsford, HO de Villiers, Mannetjies Roux, Mordt, Gerber and the Du Plessis  brothers.
It is perhaps appropriate to quote what John Gainsford told Jean de Villiers when he visited the De Villiers family and found the kids kicking rugby balls on the lawn in front of the house.   He basically told them that the way for backline players was not to kick balls - but to pass balls.
At the time there was a situation where kicking was an element in backline play - but not to exclude backline players from playing attacking rugby.   However, in the 1980's the Bulls game plan changed the scenario completely.  The Bulls game plan - now regarded by Mozart as Traditional 
The half-backs main functions were to -
*   pass balls back to the forwards and only rarely attack the gain line themselves;*   pass the balls to the flyhalf  who in the main use kicking options with passing of the balls to outside backs becoming a rarity.
This situation remains until the end of the Meyer era.   Meyer himself said that SA players do not have the skills to play attacking rugby and the passing of balls to outside backs became a rarity.  Fact is the virtual only role of backline players was to defend and  where there were skills the coaches did their utmost to coach those skills out of the players.
The situation changed when Mitchell took over as Lions coach and was succeeded by Ackerman.   The emphasis moved away from the tradition established by the Bulls in the late 1980's up to 2015.     Meyer was disgusted and mistrustful of the new game plan of the Lions in in 2-015 refused to select any Lions players for the Springbok WC squat.   Mozart's constant refrain then was "Traditional Springbok Rugby - where the reality was Traditional Bulls Rugby.
After the law changes of 2008 it became obvious that the teams will have to adjust their playing style with an emphasis on -
*   ball-in-hand usage;*   strategic kicking as an attacking option requiring accurate and objective kicking;*   using of the loosies and other forwards as an extension of attacking backline play; and*   making sure that relieving kicks are effective.
The All Blacks were the first team to fully develop the revised format and fo\r years dominated the international rugby scene.   Other international teams followed their example with the exception of SA - who was left in total disarray last year.  
Conclusion   
If the history of Springbok rugby is borne in mind the myth of "Traditional Springbok Rugby" is in fact a load of BS used by some commentators and rugby illiterates.