Cape Town - Did you know that the Springboks missed 40 tackles in the two Rugby Championship Tests against the Wallabies last year?
That is a remarkable outcome for a team like South Africa, who base their game around their defence.
It is often said that a big hit early on sets the tone for the rest of the match, and that the Boks grow an extra pair of arms and legs as they grind down their opponents.
But they weren’t able to do that in the Gold Coast and Brisbane last year.
In the 28-26 defeat at Robina Stadium, they let 21 tackles slip, and although they conceded one try, to Andrew Kellaway, the Boks watched Quade Cooper slot seven penalties – including the post-hooter effort that clinched the victory.
A week later at the Suncorp Stadium, the South Africans had 19 missed tackles, and gave away four tries in a 30-17 loss.
Conceding a four-try bonus point in last week’s 35-23 turnaround against the All Blacks at Ellis Park will have disappointed Bok coach Jacques Nienaber, who is also in charge of the defence.
The major differences for the world champions last Saturday, compared to a week earlier in Mbombela, were that New Zealand had a true playmaker in Richie Mo’unga at flyhalf instead of a strike-runner in Beauden Barrett, and that Lukhanyo Am had to move to wing following Jesse Kriel’s head knock.
The Boks will hope there aren’t disruptions to their backline again in next weekend’s clash against Australia at the Adelaide Oval (7.30am SA time kick-off), but more importantly, it’s about learning their lessons from what happened Down Under in 2021.
The Wallabies won’t have the injured Cooper to pull the strings on attack over the next fortnight, but they always look to stretch the opposition’s defence.
They are then able to find holes up the middle with clever inside passes. Centre Samu Kerevi posed problems for South Africa last year, so they will be delighted that he is out injured, like Cooper.
But coach Dave Rennie knows how to get a backline going, and although the Wallabies fell away in the second half to lose 48-17 to Argentina in San Juan last Saturday, they will be sharper in front of their home crowd.
Rennie’s team have a knack of finding a way to get the ball to their backs – whether it’s through their infamous scrum “tricks”, flooding the breakdowns or contesting the lineouts.
Noah Lolesio is likely to start at flyhalf in Adelaide, and Bernard Foley has been recalled and is another option. Their job is to create space to unleash runners such as Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Marika Koroibete and Jordan Petaia, while strong ball-carrying loose forwards Rob Valetini and Jed Holloway will aim to get them over the advantage line.
That is why Nienaber will have to think long and hard about his selection for the Adelaide Test. Apart from the Bloemfontein Test against Wales – where several newcomers got the nod – the “A team” featured in the two other Welsh encounters, as well as the two All Black games.
Were they puffed out a bit at Ellis Park? It seemed like it as the Kiwis found many easy gaps, and having had just four days off before getting together in Johannesburg this past Thursday was not enough of a break. They weren’t helped by a flight cancellation either, which saw them only leave OR Tambo International Airport yesterday afternoon.
So, to ensure that they are tighter in defence, attack and the breakdown and make those double hits that were so effective in Mbombela, Nienaber may need to freshen up the starting pack.
That should start with Malcolm Marx being reinstated at hooker, and perhaps Trevor Nyakane returning at loosehead prop after he was left out of the Ellis Park Test. Otherwise it could be a long day in the field.
@AshfakMohamed