VIDEO: We must stop playing 'touch rugby'

The Sharks were the shining light from the Republic – the only South African team to win in the opening round of the Champions and Challenge Cup competitions.

The Stormers (at home) and the Bulls (away) did not endear themselves to their fans—not just because of the heavy losses but also because of the style and quality of their respective games.

The Cheetahs showed some resolve in managing a draw, but – as with most South African teams – game management is what cost them.

The Lions paid the price for fielding a ‘scratch team’ in a game moved from Swansea to Llanelli as a result of the damage caused by Storm Darragh.

However, the conditions – which were even worse for the Bulls in London – were not the main reason for their demise.

Let’s start in Port Elizabeth, where – in front of 28,000-plus very vocal spectators at the Nelson Mandela Stadium – the Stormers suffered what Director of Rugby John Dobson described a ‘mortal blow’, a 14-24 Champions Cup loss.

Injuries – the result of the brutality of a monstrous Toulon team – were a contributing factor.

However, the Stormers could have won with a bit more ‘street smarts’.

The Stormers are renowned for their offloading – or a ‘chaos game’ as they refer to it.

However, sometimes – against the more physical teams – there needs to be a more pragmatic approach.

That, Dobson, admitted, was a big problem in Port Elizabeth.

“We said in the coaches’ box: ‘We shouldn’t be playing touch rugby like that’,” he said in reaction to a question from @rugby365com about the need to sometimes ‘dial it back a bit’.

“I know what we are trying to do and I know it is who we are.

“However, there is a line.”

Dobson added that ‘discipline’ is another issue to be looked at.

“How we shuffled the ball around a bit, wasn’t disciplined enough,” he said, adding: “We paid the price.

“That is how both their tries came [in the second half].”

Dobson wasn’t the only coach who had to respond to questions in a post-match media briefing about his team’s lack of or poor game management.

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The Lions, another team renowned for an expansive game plan, were their own worst enemies in a 14-30 loss – a game in which they trailed by only six points at half-time, but succumbed to a typically South African approach of brutal, suffocating defence that does not allow the opposition any space or time.

It was not only the Lions’ third successive loss of the season, but also their third defeat in a row against the struggling Welsh outfit.

The question of the game drivers, both senior and junior, unable to take control, was also a subject for discussion in the post-match media briefing.

Lions coach Ivan Van Rooyen described it as a “combination of a couple of things”.

“Decisionmaking under pressure is something we have spoken about quite a bit,” he told @rugby365com.

“Execution of positional skill was also not good enough,” he said of players like of Sam Francis, Nico Steyn and Sanele Nohamba.

“Even though the wind and the conditions were tough, if you don’t catch the receiving kick-off you are under pressure again.

“We lost just about every contestable kick in the second half.

“We made something like 30 errors and you can never win again with that number of errors.”

Cheetahs coach Izak van der Westhuizen admitted the draw was not ideal, but they will take the two points.

“It could come down to one point,” he said about qualifying for the play-offs, adding: “We will take whatever we can get.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Cheetahs – Cardiff (this coming Saturday), Zebre (January 12) and Lyon (January 18) awaiting them before the Round of 16, if they qualify.

“Cardiff in Cardiff is a massive game for us,” he said, adding that they will work on their shortcomings

Having played their first game in two months, they at least know what to work on.

“We spoke about the wind and how to handle it, but at times we overdid it in the first half,” Van der Westhuizen said.

“We could have retained the ball a bit more,” he said about some of the poor game management, adding: “In the second half [against the wind] we did retain the ball more and got the rewards.

“In Cardiff, it will be wetter and the wind will be more of a factor.

“We need to adapt more to the conditions of the day.”

@king365ed
@rugby365com