Kiwi view: Give the Springboks their medicine
OPINION: Rassie Erasmus has been on his best behaviour this week, cozying up to reporters and sending praise the All Blacks way in order not to stir up a response.
Not that the All Blacks would care too much, but it’s what Rassie cares about because that’s the Springboks way. He thinks it matters, so it does, in the mind of the paranoid.
The King of posting up bulletin board material to try to find an edge, mind games, and pretending not to care but deeply caring.
Now that the niceties are over, the press conferences with next-to-no headlines as a result of the public grandstanding, it’s time to get down to business.
The Springboks fanbase, not necessarily the team themselves, are riding high after two wins over the Wallabies. The expectations are sky high.
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They believe this team deserves a spot on the Pantheon among the greats, that we’ve enough evidence now that the world champions of 15 on 14 rugby are going to produce a worthy encore. The script has been written, it’s just time to watch the play unfold.
Not only that, they believe we’ve got ample evidence that Super Rugby is responsible for the Wallabies and All Blacks demise and how Europe has made the Springboks that much better.
Former players are now struggling to think of teams throughout the history of the game who would beat the 2024 Springboks. They’ve transcended the current-day international teams apparently.
History? Forget history, I’ll give you one in the now and present; Ireland, who beat them last month. It’s been three wins in a row since. Let’s please stop the pandering and a** kissing until they deserve it.
Erasmus and his coaching staff have been able to play cute with their selections against the Wallabies. The ‘A’ team, the ‘B’ team, let’s hope for their sake this one doesn’t end up the ‘L’ team.
We’ve got possibly the world’s best blindside playing in the second row, much like Argentina’s fidgeting in the second Test when they put openside Marcos Kremer at lock. That unbalanced pack tipped over at Eden Park and was put to pasture by half-time.
There is Eben Etzebeth sitting on the pine ready to be the saviour if it all goes pear-shaped. However, that emergency glass option doesn’t always work.
Hooker Joseph Dweba had to be pulled just 27 minutes into the last Test at Ellis Park, with Malcolm Marx sent in to fix the mess unfolding. But that wasn’t enough.
The early damage had been done as the All Blacks got out to a 15-0 lead. According to scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, the Springboks “dominated the whole game but still lost”.
If going behind 0-15 is dominant, then yes, we can call it that. A more accurate description would be that South Africa fought back, but the damage in the first 15 and last 15 ultimately cost them.
The All Blacks came with a bold game plan that day that hopefully Scott Robertson and his coaching staff remember.
The exit plan was to give it to Will Jordan on the right wing coming out of their own 22 and the All Blacks ran riot. Rieko Ioane had his best day as a No.13 in the black jersey, running rings around Lukhanyo Am.
It was the same game plan as a week before in Mbombela, but a change of No.10 in Richie Mo’unga saw the plan come together well and the ball finally made it to the edge where the space was.
After conceding line breaks the Springboks had to backtrack 60-70 metres and they were gassed.
The All Blacks were able to put together the phases and score on the tired defence at the other end. There were some incredible passages of passing and offloading, one leading to David Havili’s try a memorable score.
It was a watershed moment for Ian Foster with new assistants Joe Schmidt, now with the Wallabies, and forwards coach Jason Ryan.
In the modern game, it is difficult to tire out your opposition. The set-piece stoppages, the eight-player reserves, the players are fit enough to handling bursts of play in a normal game.
But that day proved one exception to the rule, and that is when your big men have to run back 60 metres just to get onside, your defensive line is cooked from that point on.
So for the All Blacks it is simple. Don’t exit kick every time from inside your 22. Run it out. And then run it out again and again. Run until those big boys are puffing and need to get pulled like Joesph Dweba because there’s six of them waiting on the bench.
Give the Springboks their medicine.
@RugbyPass
