Xs & Os - Scrum Play (RSA vs ARG)

Preamble: Here we have a play Argentina ran from a scrum. A9 passes flat to A10. He has A14 come up right alongside him. A12 and A13 cross, with A13 angling in towards A10. A10 engages S23 (functioning as 10) and pays no attention to S9. A13 condenses in, pulling S10 (functioning as 12) in. A14 ghosts behind A13, receives a short ball from A10 and darts around A13 into space vacated by S10. S13 is too wide to cover the run by A14 and A12. Result: A14 advances a large distance into Bok territory. 

Question: How should the Boks have defended? Who was at fault for the break? 

Sure - poor defensive line.  Problem you have 13 twice in the above graph . The one to the right was probably another number.

A typical sign that Pollard was distracted and he is factually not an inside center 

13 twice? 

Thanks for correcting the graph.

Pollard definitely caught ball watching a bit - his eyes never leave A10, not his man. Perhaps flyhalf instinct, suddenly making a switch in the middle of a game to a different position?

Very effective pinning move by Argie though. They use A13 as a screening runner coming in on the angle, passing behind his back to A14. Pollard would have had a tough time not getting sucked in by A13 coming in on the angle, otherwise a short pass to him puts him in a gap.

Am can't be any closer because Argies are spaced wide to the outside. Nice setup.

How do you see it, Auge?

I pretty much saw it the same way. Pollard was too focused on A10, and then A13. We already had Faf cut across quickly to cover A10, and Willemse was ready to take A10 head-on. If he marks up on the outside shoulder of A13 he'd have been able to get a hand of A14.

It's not an easy one. Seeing three Boks get bunched together like that was disappointing. However, it was great play by Argentina and the best play of the game. I'm interested to see what they do in the rematch. They were very boring in the first half: A9 to POD, A9 to A10 kick. They started to play A9 to A10 to a POD to hit up a little wider and gradually began to find some more space and bring their backs into the game . Running between defenders, stepping. They looked much more threatening for a period in the second half.

Against Australia we can expect to be spaced out. 10 and 12 must hold firm.