Dublin - The Springboks showed how good they can be on attack in dry conditions in their last two Tests, but now the challenge is to replicate that in wet and windy Dublin against Ireland on Saturday.
And while it could be difficult to do so, the Boks are not turning back from the more expansive style of play that they’ve embarked on, as they know that is the only way they will be able to keep up with and actually beat the world champion All Blacks.
The Boks have not lost a Test on the November tour since Heyneke Meyer took charge in 2012, but some of the games have been desperately close against the likes of Ireland and England. So, they need to increase that gap against the northern hemisphere teams over the next month heading into the Rugby World Cup.
With that tournament being played in what is likely to be similar wintry conditions in England next year, the Boks know that this tour is their last chance to execute a game plan based on a positive approach, whether it is in throwing a pass, taking the ball up or winning territory with a good kick.
What will allow Heyneke Meyer’s team to continue on their new path is the significant progress of young flyhalf Handré Pollard. After initially battling with slippery conditions in the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Pretoria, Pollard lost his spot to Morné Steyn for the Wallaby Test in Perth.
He won a reprieve for the All Black Test in Wellington after Steyn produced a few major blunders against Australia, and the 20-year-old hasn’t looked back since.
Pollard was assured in the high-pressure cauldron of the Westpac Stadium, and then followed it up with two dynamic outings at Newlands and Ellis Park.
And having played a whole IRB Under-20 tournament in heavy rain in New Zealand in June, coupled with the confidence from his last three Tests, Pollard will look to drive the Bok effort on attack again at the Aviva Stadium this weekend.
“When Handré started, he had to get used to the conditions (against Argentina at Loftus) and get used to playing at this level. And we were quite happy with his performance, the way he performed – just a different skill-set, and that’s obviously something we enjoy as coaches,” Bok backline coach Ricardo Loubscher said yesterday.
“Handré is a player with a different skill-set, and obviously a threat with ball-in-hand, great kicking game, great vision. So, that’s exactly what I want from a coaching point of view. Added to that, on the day, it’s all about opportunities and identifying those spaces and the mis-matches.”
Pollard certainly found a few mis-matches in the All Black defence at Ellis Park last month, running hard at halfbacks Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith, while he also powered through Richie McCaw’s tackle for his second try on the day.
While there was great relief in the Bok camp after finally beating New Zealand last month for the first time since 2011, captain Jean de Villiers said that it was far from a perfect performance, and they spent a great deal of their Stellenbosch training camp working on those attacking plays that weren’t well executed at Ellis Park in preparation for this tour.
Loubscher added that the Boks have always wanted to make better use of the ball, and will want to improve in that respect against Ireland.
“From a backline point of view, we’ve got to start from zero. Especially on this tour, it’s about getting those one-percenters right, and key areas such as our handling, decision-making. Try to get those things right,” the former Bok fullback said.
“It was always our plan to play that style. In the Championship, we played a few games in the wet, so it was difficult to actually play that style. But when we got back (home) in the last two games, there were great conditions and we were quite happy with our performance. But there are obviously a few areas that we think we can still improve on.
“The conditions (on Saturday) will play a key part. The key focus point is definitely our game management. We spoke about that and hopefully we can get it right on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, there is a good chance that scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar will be available for selection for Saturday’s Test.
Pienaar has been out of action since sustaining a medial knee ligament injury against the All Blacks in September.
But the Ulster star came through a fitness test yesterday afternoon, and the indications are positive that he will be declared fit, at least for the rest of the tour.
The Bok management will make a final call on Pienaar’s fitness today, after they have assessed the reaction of his injury to yesterday’s session.
But the 30-year-old may not feature this weekend anyway, as Francois Hougaard was one of the standout performers in the last two Bok Tests against Australia and New Zealand, while Cobus Reinach made an impact when he has come off the bench.
Bryan Habana (elbow) and Teboho Mohoje (knee) have minor niggles, but they should be ready for the weekend. Habana picked up a knock to his elbow while playing for his French club Toulon on Sunday, while Mohoje took a blow to his knee during yesterday’s practice. - The Star