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Ditch the stereotype: This Springboks team can play

Kurt-Lee Arendse scores for the Springboks - PA

On Saturday, shortly after his team had trampled over England, Jacques Nienaber attended a press conference with a satisfied look on his face. It wasn’t just that he’d become the first Springboks coach to claim a victory at the self-appointed ‘Home of Rugby’ in eight years. It wasn’t just that he had silenced a few critics and earned their respect after a one-sided thumping. That smirk that never quite left his lips had a clear message: ‘Look out world. My boys can play’.

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South Africa were brilliant in all the ways you’d have expected them to be. Frans Malherbe put on an masterclass at the scrum. Eben Etzebeth underlined his claim to being the best second-rower on the planet. And Franco Mostert, a Swiss Army Knife of a player, was equally effective in the loose and around the tight channels.

But further back, in areas of the pitch that Springboks fans have looked at longingly, hoping for magic but seeing nothing but pragmatism, some jet-heeled conjurers were casting spells. Whisper it quietly but the Springboks backline is cooking. Scratch that. Sing it from the rooftops. This is a rugby side that can hurt you in more ways than one.

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Of course, they’re not alone. Ireland, France, New Zealand, and yes, even England, have the infrastructure to marry brute force with pretty patterns out wide. But because it is the Springboks who tore the English to ribbons (a week after doing the same to a confident Italian side), we should spend a little longer dissecting this newfound addition to their arsenal.

This is akin to discovering a white rhino that also possesses razor-sharp claws. Or a buffalo that hunts lions at night. Watching a Springboks backline run amok challenges our understanding of nature. There is obviously enough evidence from the past to shift our perception. Andre Joubert, Jean de Villiers and Henry Honiball spring to mind as show-stopping backs. But some theories have calcified to the point that even after such a resounding win this weekend, one columnist on this very website can still label the Boks as “boring”.

This is not an attempt to dramatically shift the discourse. One can’t convince all the people all the time. But only the most pigheaded witness could deny that something special is brewing behind the indomitable Springboks pack.

Willie le Roux is at the heart of it. He has bafflingly fought for recognition and acceptance ever since he made his international debut in 2013. Some have said he’s too slow, too weak, too inconsistent, too susceptible under the high ball. Even during the World Cup victory of 2019 there were fans and commentators who were calling for his head.

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Those dissenting mouths have been closed. At 33 he is playing the best rugby of his career. He’s at fullback, then at first-receiver, then orchestrating a counterattack, then pulling centres into position for an offensive play several phases down the road. To call him a general would be an understatement. Go and watch every Springbok try scored by a backline player in the last four years. There’s a good chance le Roux has made the final pass in at least 80% of them.

He’s not alone. This column has questioned Damian Willemse’s credentials as a Test fly-half. I still hold some reservations but his performance on Saturday stuffed my previous assertions right down my throat. He was calm and composed. Assured of his role, patient with ball in hand, explosive when he needed to explode. He made a strong claim to keep his starting position until the World Cup next year.

As did Kurt-Lee Arendse, who skinned Marcus Smith to dot down his seventh try in six consecutive Tests. He lit up a soggy Twickenham with every touch of the ball, wriggling past defenders and dancing through half gaps.

What will Nienaber do when all the absentees are once again available? Does Handre Pollard walk back into the side? Goal kicking is a concern without him and his all-round play puts him in the conversation with regards to the most complete No 10 in South Africa’s history. And yet, would his reintroduction destabilise what is clearly a working combination?

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And what about Cheslin Kolbe? Arguably the most dazzling player on the planet, his position is also under threat. Given Makazole Mapimpi’s added heft and surety under the high ball, it would mean a straight shootout between Kolbe and Arendse. Does form matter more than seniority?

Then there’s Lukhanyo Am, one half of the best centre combination in the world, according to World Rugby, who combines dazzling skill with defensive nous to go along with Damian de Allende’s direct running.

In reserve is Andre Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel, Canan Moodie and the incandescent Manie Libbok, who only a fortnight ago put on an exhibition at fly-half rarely seen by a man wearing the leaping antelope.

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The Springboks backline has never had more depth, more variety or more potency than it does right now. They’ve never seemed more capable and willing to give the ball air, to attack the space rather than the defender in front of them or to launch an offensive from little more than the inkling of a chance.

For this Nienaber deserves credit and the respect he said his team seldom receives from outsiders. He has overseen a transformation that none of his predecessors have accomplished. What’s more, he’s done this without sacrificing the founding principles of South African rugby.

They’re still behind France and Ireland, and are just about level with New Zealand on World Rugby’s rankings. That is a fair reflection of the power structures in the global game. But if they are to become the first team to lift the World Cup for a fourth time next year, they’ll do so with a team that has more than enough guile to go with their trademark grunt.

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Comments

5 Comments
W
Warren 723 days ago

I agree with the author. Something special is brewing. And based on the November results, I reckon these Boks are saying "yes, we lost to Ireland and France, but we know we can beat them on any day" there will be belief in this group, especially after the Marseilles match. I think Faf will be trusted with goal kicking. I also think that Cheslin's spot in the starting 15 isn't guaranteed. Don't be surprised if the backline looks like this - 9: Faf, 10: Damian, 11: Moodie, 12: Allende, 13: Lukhanyo, 14: KLA, 15: Willie. A 6-2 split bench with Cheslin and Jaden on the bench. Exciting.

C
CT 727 days ago

Agree with you a beautiful storm is brewing

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Michael Röbbins (academic and writer extraordinair 727 days ago

Красиво! This guy needs to hold a seminar on “how to write good” and invite Bennie Skubala Smith and Sammie Smithsonian.

F
Flankly 727 days ago

The coaches and leaders have built the foundations, including team culture, conditioning, set pieces, defensive systems, positional depth, test experience, accuracy in basic skills, etc. They have also played all of the realistic RWC contenders in 2022, and have no-doubt studied the tapes, with a good grasp of the coaches, players and game plans that they will be facing in the RWC. The hope is that they are layering-in attacking and counter-attacking patterns to create line-breaks, finish off red-zone drives, and exploit unstructured defenses. I agree that the England game strongly suggests that they are hard at work in these areas. Fun to watch.

A
Andre 727 days ago

Dude, proper article. It’s a good one and it’s the truth. Well done

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TI 3 hours ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Italy | Autumn Nations Series

Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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