Jake White: A cautionary tale for the Springboks

OPINION: Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White shares valuable insight ahead of the Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand.

The theatre around Test rugby has always been lifted by coaching rivalries, which add drama to fixtures that need little hype.

Indeed, when I saw Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson quip in his post-presser that Rassie ‘wasn’t brave, he was smart’, I had a wry smile. It was the first salvo between two men on the long, perilous quest towards World Cup glory. It was as if Razor was goading Rassie, encouraging him to adopt a style that will get bums off seats against the All Blacks. The risk for Rassie, is if they try and run the ball, which Tony Brown will surely be advocating, the All Blacks may have a chance, but if South Africa revert to their muscular dominance at the set-piece, New Zealand could be ground down.

In many ways, it will be the first test of the Rassie and Tony Brown partnership. Does Rassie let Tony have rope to let them play in this new entertaining style, or does pragmatism win the day? It’s a fascinating sub-plot as to the power dynamic forming in a reshuffled coaching set-up.

In fairness to Tony, he’s had success playing both ways. The Highlanders played in a fairly conservative fashion and won Super Rugby in 2015 with Jamie (Joseph) and when he went to the Brave Blossoms, playing in a conservative manner wasn’t in their DNA. He inspired some brilliant attacking rugby. He’ll be itching to maintain this newfound licence to thrill and play more expansively. Like any new coach, he’ll want to put his stamp on the Springboks’ patterns behind the scrum.

Razor is being cute trying to coax Brown out and take the bait.

The Boks shouldn’t underestimate their famous adversaries, and I doubt they will. The players have taken time to adjust to the new regime, but I really thought New Zealand got their mojo back at Eden Park, especially in the opening quarter where they blew Argentina away physically. It looked like they were playing angry and wanted to be All Blacks again – they want their World No 1 status back and there is no doubt in my mind that this was the first time since Scott Robertson took over that the All Blacks had their swagger back. They will relish being underdogs.

The challenge for Rassie is how this Springbok side evolves. At halfback, not having Faf de Klerk at No.9 and having Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at No.10, automatically shifts the dial on how South Africa play.

It is an ageing squad and the style will change as the team evolves. This is precious time for Grant Williams and Sacha to bed in – they’re a very exciting duo and playing conservatively isn’t their DNA. Not yet, anyway.

The one thing this lauded squad has, more than any other team, is a togetherness and brotherhood. They’ve always spoken in the media about the team ethos trumping the needs of the individual. Focusing on the greater good. However, over the next year or so, it will be a huge test of that mantra as double World Cup winners will be discarded.

One characteristic current Springboks say they like about Rassie’s coaching style is his honesty, but the changing of the guard will test him and his man-management skills to the extreme. No player is undroppable but it will cause tensions. Yes, the players will talk the talk in public about backing the team. It’s easy to say when you’re still getting selected, but when you’re sitting on the pine, or outside the squad looking in, frustrations are inevitable.

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Can they handle it?

They’ve given their all on the pitch and they’ve passed with flying colours but as a sportsman, the real challenge is when the spotlight and adulation goes elsewhere. It’s the biggest test of any cohesive unit. I know Handre Pollard will say he doesn’t mind playing at No12 to accommodate Sacha at No10, but that’s what he’s supposed to say in public. The true legacy of this special group will be how they function behind closed doors when they’re no longer needed.

Put simply, there is no way every World Cup winner can go another four years with that age profile. Look at the New Zealand side that broke up after 2015 and the Wales side that were Grand Slam winners and the No.1 ranked side in 2019. Both had ageing sides who struggled when their legends retired en masse, with Wales even falling outside the top 10 in the rankings. The Springboks will be keen to administer a seamless transition.

Talking of legends, it’s funny, after the game in Perth, social media was awash with watching Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth walking in behind Dricus du Plessis for his UFC bout.

There’s no doubt the Springboks are hot right now. They have as high a profile as they’ve ever had. They’re mixing in celebrity circles and have massive social media followings.

Having marketable, talented players will always be a challenge, so I’ll tell you a cautionary tale. I remember hosting Sir Clive Woodward after his 2003 success with England. He came to meet our management team and presented to us, talking about the one percenters required to win a World Cup. I remember him telling me what changed post-2003, was that suddenly his players were household names.

All of a sudden they were on Strictly Come Dancing, they were on adverts, and he struggled with that. He said the reason they faltered afterwards, was that rugby wasn’t their No 1 focus – the failed 2005 British and Irish Lions tour was testament to that. If you step outside the rugby bubble, sure you create the hype that makes the game bigger, but it will come at an expense elsewhere, even if it’s further down the line.

In isolation, I’ve got no problem with the Dricus sideshow. They were in Perth, they are friends and as proud South Africans, showing their loyalty, but it’s probably not the recipe for success if done on a regular basis. Put it this way, they wouldn’t have done that before they’d won two World Cups, because they weren’t deemed serial winners. Once players start to forget rugby is No.1, then things can quickly go South.

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This debate isn’t new and will rage on forever because rugby is the ultimate team game. It will always produce individuals who, through their God-given talent or sheer force of personality, will transcend the sport and that can threaten team unity. I know people will point to the likes of LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes Stateside, but rugby doesn’t have the same DNA as the American sports. I struggle to elevate individuals in a team game like rugby. I can tell you, no teammate enjoys it when their star player is getting lauded too much. These are competitive, driven individuals.

When I was Springbok coach, back in 2004, I had Schalk Burger Jnr bursting through. He was the sensation of world rugby. His father, Schalk Snr, worked for a company called Megapro, which sold sponsorship to SA Rugby, along with George Rautenbach. If anyone knew about how to market rugby or a product, it was his dad, so I had to be sensitive to how I handled this emerging talent. When he was 20, I forbade him to go to certain press conferences, I kept him out of the spotlight. It was similar with Bryan Habana. I sent guys like Os du Randt out, who was in his thirties and could handle the pressure. The media weren’t happy but I deliberately did that, because I didn’t want them to get carried away or lose their respect for a team game.

Yes, they were getting accolades because they were the pin-up boys of SA rugby, but also out of respect for older pros, who have been there, done that, and deserved exposure. The new kid on the block always gets the magazine cover, smiling with his fiancé and new puppy, sipping cocktails by the beach, or gushing about their new life in a TV interview – it’s called ‘milking it while you can’, but will it come at a cost?

My focus as a head coach has always been on creating an environment conducive to success and making everyone feel valued. Social media has challenged the status quo but my views haven’t shifted.

Whether you like it or not, the player can now promote himself.

If he has a new sponsorship deal, he can push it through his social media channels, he doesn’t need the traditional media, like the old days but if there’s one thing rugby has told us, it’s that there is a right or wrong way to do things and I’ve made my views clear. I’d love to hear your thoughts.