Boks are sharpening emphasis on game evolution

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber spoke about the specific challenge posed by the French ahead of the game in Marseille two weeks ago, but what his team started to do in the Stade Velodrome clearly wasn’t a one-off.

Nienaber unsurprisingly fielded questions in a press conference this week from England based media concerned about the apparent ugliness of the South African approach. It’s been a hobbyhorse in the UK and Irish media since the Boks eked out a narrow victory amidst the tension, spitefulness followed by much rancour of last year’s British and Irish Lions series.

Maro Itoje, the England lock who will probably be switched to flank by his coach Eddie Jones in an attempt to blunt the anticipated Bok approach at Twickenham on Saturday night, summed up the perception with his wisecrack when looking ahead at the game at the start of the week - “South Africa haven’t changed their game since the beginning of history - strong set-piece, strong defence and strong kicking game.”

But there has been a bit more to it than that in the last two weeks, with the Boks running the ball back when France kicked on them in Marseille and they also ran wide more often and played with greater tempo in burying Italy in Genoa last week.

APPROACH DICTATED BY WHERE THE SPACE IS

Nienaber, as he did when he was asked the question now, has always stated that his team’s approach is dictated by what is in front of them. In other words, they play on perceived opposition weak points and to where the space is. You kick when the defensive wall is up, you run when it isn’t.

The French long kicking game did make it easier for the Boks to engage a counter-attack game against them as it left space for the visitors to play with. France was not expected to be prepared for the Boks to run back at them, and that proved the case, with the French looking rattled for long periods of the game. And when it comes to Italy, even though that nation has improved immeasurably in recent times, there is always the tendency to look at what happens against them as “Well, it was only Italy.”

So perhaps it is fair to say that the jury might still be out on whether the Boks are committed to bringing the elements of their game that were so refreshing over the past two weeks in permanently. Was it horses for courses, and they will put their attacking guns out wide back in their holster and revert to kick and chase and box kicks and running over opponents with the forwards and crash and bash inside centre play against England?

One of the players who is central to that strategy and perhaps might be frustrated that his other skills and strengths are neglected is the incumbent Bok No12 Damian de Allende. He says he loved the greater space he was allowed in Genoa last week when he made a rare appearance at outside centre - he has played there before for the Boks as a replacement during a game - and enjoyed the attacking style his team played.

“I did enjoy playing 13, it gave me a bit more space and an opportunity to play in the wider channels. Against Italy we got the ball there quite a bit and hopefully we can get the ball into the wider spaces again (against England),” he said. “It will be nice to see the wings Kurt-Lee (Arendse) and Mapimps (Makazole Mapipi) get a chance to run because they are both exciting players with a lot of pace.”

IT'S A BIT OF BOTH

So, is that an indication that the Boks didn’t just utilise their wider approach against France and Italy as a horses for courses policy? Is it possible that there’s a bit of evolution going on, with the penny having dropped in the coaching box that adding extra strings to their attacking bow would make the world champions even more formidable opponents and leave less to chance?

“It’s actually a bit of both,” says De Allende. “We do know we have to improve our attacking play and evolve our game. We have never been of the view that we can just carry on with what won us the World Cup in 2019, but it was tough for us as remember we didn’t play together at all in 2020 because of Covid. And then when we returned, we had a tough series against the Lions. That was after almost two years of not being together.

“So given the pressure we faced in that series and the fact we hadn’t played since the World Cup, we really couldn’t change much. Last year was just about us being together as a team again, it was about just getting a feel for each other again. We couldn’t really try new things. But we have started to try a few things now, and we are always looking to evolve and improve.”

The intent to be more adventurous might have started earlier in this rugby year, but the Boks were let down by not executing their basics as effectively as they would have liked and that put them under pressure.

“It all starts with our basics; we have to get that right first and we need to get better at it. We are confident though that next year, the World Cup year, we will have developed as players and developed our game to where we feel it needs to be,” said De Allende.

The product of Milnerton High School gives the impression he loves the way the Boks are currently headed.

“Yes, it was nice not to have to do that (crash the ball up) last week against Italy. (When) that is our game plan, and I will do whatever the team requires. But you know you are not going to be dominant throughout the whole game, so it is tough to run into three or four forwards at once and do it 10 times or more during a game. But I am here to serve the team and if that is required of me that is what I will do.”