– Cape Town In 2022, it has been refreshing to see the Springboks’ attacking game gradually grow.
The most significant difference, though, occurred when Damian Willemse was at flyhalf, whether he moved there during the second half of the season or started in the No. 10 position more recently.
When Willemse is calling the shots at pivot, it is as if the shackles have been released. Suddenly, Damian de Allende is running excellent angles, the wings are receiving the ball in open play, and the team’s reliance on Lukhanyo Am is not as glaring in his injury-induced absence.
However, tomorrow’s Rugby Championship decider requires a different strategy, and not just because Willemse will not be on the field.
We are all aware of Frans Steyn’s strengths as a general: booming boot, strong defender, ability to throw long passes, and ability to attack the gain-line. However, he is not a playmaker in the mold of Willemse or, dare we say, Elton Jantjies, and will therefore be unable to unlock Argentina’s defense.
This is one reason why blunt force is a better strategy at Kings Park.
The Boks have scored from mauls or used it as a foundation to build up tries, but it hasn’t been as efficient as in past seasons.
This is due in part to a lineout that has squandered several attacking opportunities. In actuality, the South Africans are only third in the competition in terms of lineouts won, with 82.1%, trailing the All Blacks (89.2%), Argentina (88.8%), and Australia (80).
Tomorrow in Durban, they must get this aspect perfect, since the pressure will be on in the title chase, although coach Jacques Nienaber doesn’t appear too concerned about the numbers.
“I believe two lineouts were lost over the weekend. I believe we had 14 and lost two; they were comparable. I simply believe that teams are competing. This week, Nienaber stated, “I would be lying if I told you our current success rate for lineouts; I do not know what it is.”
“We view things entirely differently. Winning the lineout is one thing, but our most important statistic is likely delivery – achieving your objective. Therefore, we likely view it more from this perspective.
“Argentina has one of the most successful lineouts in the competition, based on success rate. They have a strong maul and have scored several tries from mauls; they have a strong set piece.”
However, Nienaber did emphasize the Bok concerns in the scrums, which have not been as dominant as desired by the South Africans. “I believed they (Argentina) had us beaten from a scrum perspective” (in Buenos Aires). Therefore, we will need to work hard on this,” he stated.
The Pumas have the most successful scrum in the competition, with an 82% success rate, followed by South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand (75).
It will be another fierce duel between the respective front rows, as the 33-year-old grizzled veteran loosehead prop Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (73 caps) will attempt to get under Bok tighthead Frans Malherbe’s skin.
When announcing his selection yesterday, Argentina’s coach Michael Cheika boosted his defense by adding Matias Moroni at outside centre and Juan Imhoff at left wing. Imhoff will remember Kings Park well, having scored a hat-trick in their epic 37-25 triumph there in 2015.
Nienaber remarked that the Boks made errors that allowed Argentina to come back to tie the score at 22-20 last week “because they put us under pressure,” and he commended his team’s composure in closing out a 36-20 bonus-point victory.
In the locker room at halftime, Argentina was described as “a squad that never gives up,” which the South Americans surely demonstrated.
Their dangerous backs thrive when the game is loose and they can give it their all, which the Boks allowed them to do by letting their guard down little when they were 22-6 up.
This cannot occur in Durban if they hope to win a whole Rugby Championship for the first time since 2009, which would be a historic achievement (2019 was a single-round event).
All of these factors imply that the big men up front must keep things tight and crush them down, rather than carelessly passing the ball around.
@AshfakMohamed