Kiwi view: Boks papered over cracks with bonus-point wins

OPINION: They say that winning masks over flaws.

For the Springboks, who have started their Rugby Championship 2-0 with back-to-back victories in Australia, the cracks have been papered over by the excitement of two bonus point wins.

However, this version of the Boks is very much a work-in-progress, which may come as a surprise to some.

They bashed up the Wallabies by 33-7 in Brisbane and were glazed from all corners of the globe despite suggestions that ’30 points’ were left out there.

And that is true, the missed points tells a story and the story is just how poor the Springboks were in the red zone that afternoon.

From their nine possessions inside the Wallabies’ 22 in the first half they scored three tries. From the mountain of possession knocking on the Wallabies line they came up with six turnovers.

Eben Etzebeth dropped it cold on the first entry, Pieter-Steph du Toit had a forward pass fly into touch on the third, one maul was sacked and turned, an attacking kick went dead, Le Roux spilled a short ball from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Siya Kolisi was stripped at the base of the ruck for a knock-on.

Six turnovers inside the Wallabies’ 22 and many just five out from the tryline.

From the three tries, one was scored after Hunter Paisami dropped a golden intercept chance from a Damian de Allende offload. From the second chance possession, the Springboks scored the Du Toit try.

Had the Wallabies midfielder been better, that would have been the seventh turnover inside Australia’s 22.

The two other tries came from the real area of strength from the Springboks, the shift maul play with the double jump and Kurt-Lee Arendse’s scamper came under penalty advantage from the scrum.

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Set-piece dominance was the source of those two tries. Outside of that strength, the Springboks were rather chaotic and inaccurate. The attack’s efficiency, the rate at which opportunities are converted, was concerning.

They averaged 2.3 points per 22 entry in that first half.

Nine red zone opportunities in 40 minutes against the Wallabies might become just three or four against the All Blacks. That 21 points will look more like seven to nine at 2.3 points per 22 entry.

In the second half at Lang Park, the Wallabies fought back, enjoyed more possession which left the Boks with just four 22 entries at the other end.

They conjured two tries, for a healthy return of 3.5 points per entry in the second half. Again, the weaponised maul and scrum helped.

They were bundled into touch but advantage earned at the set-piece allowed for a second chance from which they scored through Kwagga Smith.

A clean break from Jesse Kriel created a walk-in try for Arendse was the best piece of constructed play they produced that day.

In Perth their execution again was poor in the first half, understandably impacted by the wet conditions in the driving rain pouring down at Perth Stadium.

They averaged 1.5 points per 22 entry from eight visits in the first half. And that doesn’t include the bombed opportunity by Feinberg-Mngomezulu from the Cheslin Kolbe line break on a kick return.

The last pass from Kolbe was dropped by the young No.10 just outside the 22 for what was essentially a guaranteed try. That was the second try of the half that went begging after Makazole Mapimpi was stripped of possession a metre from the line after a miraculous one-on-one tackle by Tom Wright.

In the second half in Perth, the Springboks bagged three tries from five 22 entries, all from the rolling maul.

The second half return of 3.8 points per 22 entry was exceptional.

But the caveat here is this was from one source, becoming a one trick pony. They tapped the only well that was providing, their strong maul. The two other attacking possessions were turned over by the Wallabies just one metre from the line.

If an opposition team is strong enough to shut down the rolling maul and de-power the Boks’ scrum, which the Wallabies weren’t, then this high-scoring juggernaut crashes back down to Earth in spectacular fashion.

Now, the Springboks do have other strengths to fall back on. Their defence is still very strong, conceding just one try over the two Tests, and their kicking out-of-hand was far superior to that shown by the Wallabies.

It will take a much more polished attacking unit than the Wallabies to score tries on the Boks’ D, and skilled kickers to win the battle through the air. Which, arguably, the All Blacks have.

In their last meeting in the World Cup Final South Africa settled for just four penalty goals, all in the first half.

Without openside flank Sam Cane, the All Blacks handled the Springboks’ pack at set-piece time. Even with the tall frame of Jordie Barrett on the flank, the All Blacks held their own. They even arguably demolished the Bok pack on the final scrum to no reward.

The key for the All Blacks is the same ahead of this tour.

Handle the scrum and maul and the Boks’ main source of tries will dry up, forcing them to rely on their goal-kicker.

At Ellis Park, the All Blacks can run roughshod over the Boks with the right game plan. Cape Town is a tougher proposition.

If Jason Ryan has his pack nailing the detail, particularly with Scott Barrett back, there is no reason why Razor can’t bag two in the Republic.