DURBAN — First up let us praise the Springboks for “rediscovering their soul,” as Siya Kolisi put it, in an effort that did justice to the green and gold jersey and the 100 years of rivalry with the All Blacks.
This was after two limp-wristed defeats to the Wallabies in which the Boks looked burned out and at odds with themselves in that they strayed a little from the blueprint that defeated the British and Irish Lions.
In those losses, it looked like the criticism that they were boring and one-trick ponies had got to them and they loosened up a touch, but looked uncomfortable in the process, at times running the ball across the field like an uncoached school team, and doing it at injudicious times.
And the criticism came for that too! The consequent refrain from the Bok camp — and there was no attempt to disguise it — was that they were going back to their bread and butter, and the world be damned!
ALSO READ: All Blacks steal it in the end, but gallant Springboks restore pride in Townsville
And few Springbok supporters would have quibbled with that because it would have been hopeless for their team to try and reinvent themselves a week before one of the most important matches in Springbok history.
The problem is that the Boks over-corrected. They went solely back to the kicking game that beat the Lions and won the World Cup, and then some, and that was too much because even against the Lions there was scope to attack.
By all means, use your box kicking and your up-and-unders to get you territory and possession (should you win the ball back — and the Boks are good at that) but then for heaven's sake move the ball when the situation cries out for it!
De Allende, Am, Mampipi, Nkosi/Kolbe are lethal attackers but in Townsville, they were simply ball chasers.
To use a battle analogy, once the artillery has done its work in softening up the defences, and the foot soldiers have charged the enemy trenches, then you unleash the cavalry to clean up...
ALSO READ: Bok Ratings: Siya Kolisi leads from the front as team makes vast improvement
Bu the Springbok calvary remained frustratingly corralled...
Schalk Burger, almost exploding with frustration in the SuperSport studio, said as much when he questioned why —when the Boks were cruising forward after successful phases, with the All Blacks back-pedalling and space opening up at the back — Handre Pollard then kicked the freaking ball! And it went dead over the goal-line, for good measure.
Faf de Klerk did the same a number of times, and at the end, Herschel Jantjies too.
Clearly, the Bok game drivers were strictly following an inflexible script because they didn’t dare deviate from it, and that is just wrong.
The decision-makers cannot play like robots. Yes, there must be a broad game plan but one that also gives freedom to players to play what is in front of them, i.e. pass the frigging ball if you see a teammate in a prime position to attack and score.
Jacques Nienaber said there was nothing wrong with the tactics, notably when the Boks continued to kick when leading with only a few minutes to go — and all of South Africa was screaming “hold onto the ball” — and he would argue that if Jordie Barrett’s kick had missed, the Boks would be heroes and praised for their brilliant blueprint.
Well yes and no. I say no because having done so much good in frustrating the All Blacks into playing like caged animals, the Boks should have taken the game by the scruff of the neck and crushed the Kiwis. At 17-16, they were there for the taking, and Ian Foster, John Plumtree and Co were sweating buckets in their coaches' box.
But the Boks did not move up a gear as they did in the World Cup final when England were softened up by the same tactics and then battered to bits, with Mapimpi and Kolbe scoring wonder tries.
The Boks have brutal forwards who did a magnificent job on the All Blacks but, alas, inefficient game management by the half-backs meant their efforts went unrewarded and the backs were left with their guns still holstered.
IOL Sport