In a bold move that might have backfired, Rassie Erasmus, coach of the Springboks, introduced an innovative lineout strategy during the July internationals against Italy, only for it to fall flat in subsequent matches against tougher Rugby Championship adversaries Australia and New Zealand. The trick, initially successful against the unsuspecting Italians, quickly became ineffective as both the Wallabies and All Blacks anticipated and neutralized the ploy with ease.
The innovative tactic, inspired by a viral play from a school team, featured open play lineouts that initially dazzled but later fizzled. Former Springboks hooker Hanyani Shimange and ex-All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall dissected the misstep on the GBR AUNZ podcast. Marshall criticized the timing of the play, "When they did it, they hadn’t had great territory or a lot of the ball... it’s like right, ‘We need to start to get some scoreboard pressure’, and they did that at that stage, which obviously they then fumbled."
"The South Africans love the innovation. I just thought that we didn’t have to do it against Italy, hold that move for now, so the All Blacks had never seen it before,"
Shimange lamented, indicating a premature reveal of the tactic.The debate extended to whether the All Blacks legally countered the Boks' lineout maneuvers. Marshall admitted, "I haven’t actually rewatched the game, and I didn’t see it when I was calling the match, but I heard that they might have got [Ruan Nortje] early." The controversy centers around whether Nortje was interfered with before his feet touched the ground—a breach of the rules if true.
Despite the strategic hiccup, the discussion also acknowledged New Zealand's adeptness at small but crucial aspects of the game. "I actually thought that the All Blacks won a lot of the little micro moments within the match," Marshall observed, highlighting the All Blacks' superior execution in critical moments.
The Springboks' use of innovative lineout tactics under Erasmus will continue to be a topic of scrutiny and debate, especially as teams become increasingly familiar with their playbook. The effectiveness of such strategies remains to be seen in future high-stakes matches, where both execution and timing will be paramount.