They will be Springboks in name, even though they won’t be earning Test caps, but the 23 players who will kick off the November tour in London on Saturday may just start a new era in South African rugby.
Under fire following a calamitous Rugby Championship, and with just four wins out of nine in 2016, Bok coach Allister Coetzee needs to take the team in a new direction if they ever hope to challenge the All Blacks or even England going forward.
There has been a lot said about skills development and paying attention to fitness levels in the wake of the rugby indaba last month, but those are long-term projects for the bigger picture.
It is the Boks who need to inspire the rest of the country’s rugby fraternity, and while the defence and tactical kicking have been mentioned as key technical areas to fix immediately, it is the general approach of the team that will have the most attention focused on it.
Will Coetzee stick to his percentage rugby philosophy? Before leaving South Africa, the coach remarked that his team won’t be entering into the festival nature of Saturday’s clash against the Barbarians at Wembley Stadium in London (4.30pm kickoff).
“Just because it is not a Test against the Baabaas, we are not going there to entertain. That is the Baabaas’ philosophy. We will play to lay the basis to get a successful tour off the ground. The Baabaas will test us, but we have to make sure we stick to our processes of how to win Test-match rugby.”
Subsequent to that, Coetzee told the British media this week that his team kicked too much ball away during the Rugby Championship, and that he wants them to “use the ball and keep it more in hand”.
So, what’s it going to be? Are the Boks going to embrace a whole new world? Well, stand-in captain Patrick Lambie said on Friday during a press conference in London that his players have changed their thinking in a number of respects, even when it comes to defence or the kicking game.
“Obviously we want to progress as the Springbok team, and we want our game to evolve and want to be moving in the right direction. So we’ve had a few shifts in our mindset and the way we want to do things over the last few weeks, and the squad selected for tomorrow will be able to execute exactly that. Hopefully that will be entertaining for everyone watching,” the Sharks general said.
“We don’t want to defend for the sake of defending – we want to defend to get the ball back. And our kicking game is another weapon to do exactly that – to create more attacking opportunities for ourselves. So, that has been the shift in mindset. We are going to take the space, in whichever way that is first, before we kick.
“In our kick execution, there is a big focus on our kick-chase as well, and hopefully that will create more attacking opportunities for us inside the opposition’s half as well as counter-attack opportunities from kicks that we receive.”
The Bok flyhalf added that new backs consultant Franco Smith and defence coach JP Ferreira have brought fresh ideas to the table, and Cheetahs boss Smith “has been great with our kicking plans and working with the backs as well”.
But while the intent to be a more cohesive attacking force may be there, Lambie agrees that the Boks won’t hit their straps immediately. There are a number of new combinations, with the skipper playing alongside Rudy Paige and centres Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Francois Venter for the first time this year.
The man himself hasn’t had much rugby either in 2016, making a late entry into Super Rugby and then enduring another three-month layoff with concussion during the Test season.
Lambie started at fullback against the All Blacks in what ended up as a 57-15 rout, so he is also glad to be in the No 10 jersey. “It has been a very frustrating year, with a lot of time on the sidelines. But it’s great to be back on the field again, and I’m really looking forward to playing at flyhalf tomorrow. I felt very comfortable over the last couple of weeks running there, and hopefully I can grab this opportunity,” the 53-Test Bok said.
The Barbarians won’t be pushovers, with several Super Rugby stalwarts in their side. The champion Hurricanes team supplied flank Brad Shields, prop Reggie Goodes and lock Michael Fatialofa, while former All Black scrumhalf Andy Ellis will captain the team.
The major game of the trip will be next week’s Test against England, though, and while the Boks usually play the Baabaas at the end of tour, Lambie feels that facing them first may help his team.
“I think it is almost an advantage for us. We are coming off a disappointing Rugby Championship, and this is a week where we will hopefully be able to put a few new systems and structures in place, build some momentum and get a bit of confidence,” the 26-year-old said.
“And I will say that with all the respect to the Barbarians, as we are definitely not taking it lightly. It’s an opportunity to get a lot of things right, a few work-ons right, and we are seeing it as a positive, for sure. Our attitude is going to stay the same from minute one to 80, and the guys want to make the most of this opportunity they’ve been given.”
Teams For Wembley
Springboks:15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Patrick Lambie (captain), 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Bench:16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Jean-Luc du Preez, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Ruan Combrinck.
Barbarians:15 Melani Nanai (Blues), 14 Matt Faddes (Highlanders), 13 Seta Tamanivalu (Crusaders and New Zealand), 12 Richard Buckman (Highlanders), 11 Taqele Nayaravoro (Waratahs and Australia), 10 Robert du Preez (Stormers), 9 Andy Ellis (captain, Crusaders and New Zealand), 8 Luke Whitelock (Highlanders and New Zealand), 7 Jordan Taufua (Crusaders), 6 Brad Shields (Hurricanes), 5 Michael Fatialofa (Hurricanes), 4 Martin Muller (Lions), 3 Paddy Ryan (Waratahs and Australia), 2 Akker van der Merwe (Lions), 1 Reggie Goodes (Hurricanes).
Bench:16 Andrew Ready (Reds), 17 Schalk van der Merwe (Montpellier), 18 Toby Smith (Rebels and Australia), 19 Sam Carter (Brumbies and Australia), 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Nic Stirzaker (Rebels), 22 Richard Mo’unga (Crusaders), 23 Luke Morahan (Force and Australia).
Kickoff:4.30pm SA time. Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand).
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