Boks need something special to beat the Blacklash

OPINION: The Springboks must address their first-half failings ahead of a Freedom Cup decider that could echo into eternity.

Who doesn’t love a fightback that culminates in a dramatic victory?

Over the past 12 months, the Boks have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in three World Cup play-off matches.

Last week, they overturned a 10-point deficit to edge the All Blacks 31-27 in Johannesburg.

It’s when things are at their worst – and when all hope appears to be lost – that the Boks are at their best.

In the immediate aftermath of such a result, no one bar the most cynical rage farmer will move to douse the euphoria with a cold analysis that highlights the team’s shortcomings.

Indeed, record-holding Springbok Victor Matfield summed up the situation in his post-match wrap.

After dodging a question about the hosts’ inconsistent display, the great Bok lock urged the players to “Enjoy tonight” before regrouping ahead of the rematch in Cape Town.

Now that the fires of euphoria have faded, the time for cold analysis is at hand.

After winning three consecutive matches and claiming 14 out of 15 possible log points, the Boks are well-placed to win the Rugby Championship.

That said, they won’t win the next match against the All Blacks and secure the Freedom Cup if they don’t sharpen up in key areas.

To be clear, they’ve been building towards this particular moment for years.

Outside of the World Cup and the Lions series, this is the biggest and most important set of matches for the Boks.

They haven’t won the Freedom Cup since 2009, and Rassie Erasmus, Siya Kolisi and a host of decorated veterans are desperate to get their hands on the trophy.

As seen in the Chasing the Sun docuseries, Erasmus isn’t afraid to challenge his charges and demand improvement.

Erasmus called the players out after the loss to Ireland in Paris last year and didn’t hold back when addressing the team during the half-time break of the World Cup semifinal against England.

Erasmus has already gone out of his way to laud the character and effort of the team following the recent win at Ellis Park.

The players certainly don’t need a reality check.

What they do need, however, is one final push ahead of their biggest match of the year.

Rewind to the first half of that match at Ellis Park.

There were some bright moments for the Boks, with Damian de Allende winning a couple of jackal turnovers and Jasper Wiese bulldozing his way through several defenders.

But by and large, the All Blacks were the more physical and accurate of the two sides during the first 40 minutes.

They won the collisions and controlled the tempo of the game.

This is something the Boks will need to address ahead of the Freedom Cup decider at Cape Town Stadium.

They showed remarkable character to withstand the All Blacks’ early assault at Ellis Park.

They conceded two tries, but may have conceded more if not for a couple of timely interventions.

At the same time, they must be concerned by how many times the All Blacks visited their 22 in that period (five).

This was a result of the All Blacks winning the collisions and territorial game.

The All Blacks manipulated the Bok defence to score two tries in the third quarter and extend their lead to 10 points.

From there, the visitors ran out of gas – or, as some among the New Zealand media have put it, stopped playing.

By contrast, the Boks were forced to chase the game. The bench provided the hosts with the necessary boost in intensity and accuracy, and the Boks went on to complete a famous comeback.

Over the past six years, Erasmus and former head coach Jacques Nienaber have been asked why they pick their ‘best’ players on the bench rather than in the starting team.

Both have explained that all of the players in the matchday 23 – particularly the forwards – are part of a strategy aimed at targeting the opposition in the final quarter.

The starting pack attempts to grind the opposition down in the first half. If all goes to plan, the Bomb Squad are unleashed in the second stanza to finish the job.

This strategy paid off in the latter stages of the 2023 World Cup and in the recent game against the All Blacks.

The most effective counter to this strategy was on show at the Mount Smart Stadium during the 2023 Rugby Championship.

The All Blacks targeted the Boks at the kick-offs and won the aerial battle in the first half, and went to the break with a 20-3 lead.

As the game progressed, the slow poison started to tell on the All Blacks forwards, and the introduction of the Bomb Squad galvanised the Boks in the latter stages.

The visitors won the second half 17-15, but lost the match 20-35. Ultimately, their first-half lapses left them with too much ground to make up in the second stanza.

Erasmus and opposite number Scott Robertson may reflect on the flow and result of that 2023 encounter in preparing for the next game in Cape Town.

It seems an obvious ploy, but if the All Blacks can head to half-time with an advantage in the region of 15 points, they will compromise the Boks’ well-established strategy.

The Boks are playing with confidence at the moment, and they must not lose that swagger.

At the same time, they must work harder to win the small battles in the first half and take more of their scoring chances. The decision-making and accuracy – read when to pass or kick – needs to be better.

Defence will be a big work-on this week, following the costly lapses during the early stages at Ellis Park. Tactical kicking and exits will also be in focus, after an underwhelming first-half performance.

The Boks must take the fight to the All Blacks from start to finish. It’s another obvious statement, but the evidence suggests it is far easier said than done.

If the game is in the balance at half-time, the hosts will fancy their chances of closing out the contest via their Bomb Squad.

Disruption will be the name of the game for the All Blacks.

If they are allowed to control the tempo and build a substantial lead at an early stage, they may well spoil the South Africans’ party, and retain the Freedom Cup for yet another season.

The match will reveal how much either side has learned from recent events, and ultimately who deserves to hold that title aloft.

@rugby365com