The runaway New Zealand will be going for 17 Test wins in a row in Durban tomorrow. How do the Springboks stop their old foes?
Wynona Louw and Ian Smit have a few suggestions ...
Keep the ball away from The Great Dane
I ask you with tears in my navy-blue eyes, have you ever seen a hooker quite like Dane Coles? More to the point, have you ever seen a hooker pass the ball like this guy does? Against the Boks in Christchurch Coles floated a spectacular long pass to send Sam Whitelock over in the corner.
And he provided two more sublime passes in the build-up to the Israel Dagg and Julian Savea tries. He can break tackles, he can dance down the touchline like a wing, he throws the ball in properly, he scrums strongly.
Is Coles the hooker to end all hookers or what?
So if the Boks want to win, it will help a lot if they make sure the only time Coles touches the ball is when he has to feed the line-out. - Ian Smit
Don’t give Ben Smith the freedom of the park
Ben Smith is as graceful with his feet as a ballerina on ice. Close to the touchline a couple of weeks ago against Argentina, he skated left, right, and left again in a dazzling three-second display of the most beautiful footwork you could hope to see on a rugby field.
The Boks kicked the ball into the arms of Israel Folau in Brisbane last month and paid the price. But unlike Folau, Smith does not drift in and out of games. His red, go button will be flashing for the entire 80 minutes.
He loves cutting down the middle of the field and he is always on the shoulders of his fellow strike runners. And he has the quick hands to go with those feet. So if the Boks kick aimlessly in Smith’s direction on Saturday, they will be skating on thin ice! - Ian Smit
Win your set pieces
When the Springboks faced the All Blacks in Christchurch during their 41-13 defeat last month, the Bok line-outs were wonky, especially in the second half when Malcolm Marx couldn’t hit a barn door.
But they can’t allow any of that to happen in Durban tomorrow.
The Kiwis have shown so many times that they enjoy attacking from scrums and line-outs, and their attacking can result in tries aplenty in the blink of an eye (or four tries in five minutes, to be exact - just ask the Pumas).
Last week at Loftus, the Boks scrummed strongly, especially when Steven Kitshoff and Julian Redelinghuys came on in the second half. So winning the set-pieces is vital for the Boks. And, of course, making use of the possession after winning a scrum or line-out is just as important. - Wynona Louw
Disrupt the Kiwis at those breakdowns
Flanker Francois Louw has been rather “flou” this season but made a very timely return to form last week. Not only because he produced a performance that helped the Boks edge the Wallabies for a much-needed win after three consecutive defeats, but also because the breakdowns are one area where the South Africans will need all the help they can get against the All Blacks.
Flo and Adriaan Strauss led the way for the Springboks on the ground at Loftus with vital steals and a lot of grunt, and it was enough to put the Aussies away. But dealing with the All Blacks’ attacking breakdown is an entirely different matter.
Ardie Savea, with his hair standing up more and more impressively each week, was all over the field against the Pumas. The ABs want to get the ball out as swiftly. They’re aggressive and they clean out whatever’s in their way.
And they are very nifty when it comes to getting the ball away from the tackle situation. So all the confidence that the Boks have gained from their victory in Pretoria will have to be channelled into the breakdown area. - Wynona Louw
Cape Times