Attacking ails at heart of Bok failure
12 Oct 2011
JON CARDINELLI writes that the next Springbok coach can’t afford to make the same mistakes as his predecessor by favouring a conservative yet ultimately ineffective game plan.
There was disappointment and anger following Sunday’s quarter-final exit, but I don’t know why there was confusion. Nobody with half a brain can say that the Boks, in this incomplete and largely unprepared guise, were anything but underdogs in the matches against more rounded units like the Wallabies and All Blacks.
The Boks lost five out of six in the 2010 Tri-Nations, and three out of four in the subsequent Sanzar tournament. Over the course of both competitions, they were tactically outplayed by Australia and New Zealand who both appreciated the need for a balance between kicking the ball and running it.
In 2011, their coaching staff and senior players believed that there was no need to move away from what worked for South Africa in the past. There was a belief, or more a sense of arrogance, that the Boks would always be able to overpower an opponent, and that the tactics that worked in 2007 would yield the desired result again.
The reality is that Peter de Villiers and his merry men have failed South Africa in terms of developing a national playing style that makes full use of a fantastically gifted group of players.
De Villiers got it wrong when he pushed for the headless chicken approach in 2008, and was just as wrong when he moved to the other end of the scale in 2009. His vision for a total brand was compromised by poor results, and he took refuge in the plodding game plan that has always troubled most nations, but hardly tested the Wallabies and All Blacks as the laws have changed and the game has evolved.
They battled to score tries in the 2010 Tri-Nations, and when their best players returned from the conditioning camp in August 2011, the team scored all of their points through the goal-kickers. De Villiers said the tactical display in Port Elizabeth would be replicated at the World Cup, and the fact that the Boks had failed to score a try didn’t concern the coach, senior players or anybody else that had a stake in how the battle plan was formulated.
They scraped past Wales in their opening game, and De Villiers and captain John Smit wrote it off to the pressure of the occasion, assuring worried fans and stakeholders that they would improve as the tournament progressed. They appeared to improve in games against Fiji and Namibia, as they scored six tries against the islanders and 12 against their African neighbours, but this installed a false sense of confidence, and their shortcomings were highlighted in the following match against Samoa where missed opportunities nearly cost them the result.
Predictably, the Boks fell short when they met a team with the muscle and intelligence to nullify their forward threat. They dominated the set-pieces in the quarter-final against Australia, and controlled possession and territory, although they didn’t get the better of the Wallabies at the collisions and breakdowns.
At that crucial moment, and there were a fair few, they failed to finish. Their general attacking approach was also disappointing, with side to side movements proving largely ineffective. Over the course of 80 minutes the Wallabies turned in a brilliant defensive effort, although when you look at few of the Boks’ attacking ploys you’d have to say that the Aussies weren’t asked to work particularly hard.
The Boks ended the match having scored three penalties and no tries, a record consistent with that of the Tri-Nations games played in Port Elizabeth and Durban. They won in PE and lost at Kings Park but their attacking limitations in those Tests indicated that they wouldn’t pose the necessary all-round threat to top defensive teams.
Will the next Bok coach heed the lessons of 2011? This is the question Saru should ask themselves when they begin the assessment process after the World Cup. South Africa needs a coach with a technical appreciation for the modern game. This will allow him to make informed selections that will maximise all of South Africa’s strengths.
We will always be a country that produces the meat heads capable of overpowering the opposition, but we also possess players capable of alternating between a kicking or a running game.
Unfortunately, the wrong players were backed in decision making positions. De Villiers backed a one-dimensional player at flyhalf when he had the likes of Butch James and Pat Lambie, two players equally adept to kicking the ball as they are to bringing the backline into the game. And, unlike Swingdoor Steyn, these men can defend.
The future is bright if those in charge are willing to tap into the attacking talents of our players. Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Frans Steyn – these are but a few that have been around for awhile but have been rarely used as more than physical pawns in an abrasive battle plan. The next coach must maximise the strengths of these players, and find a way to blend their experience with the exuberance of Lambie, Francois Hougaard, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh and promising outsiders like Johann Sadie.
The pack will always be required to lay the platform, but with the backing of a bold, forward-thinking coach, the Boks will develop into a side that can realistically beat the top Test sides consistently, and play some entertaining rugby in the process.
83 Comments
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12 Oct 2011, 05:55 am
way of the dragon skills
12 Oct 2011, 06:05 am
“Defence wins world cups”? Only if you have a good enough attack to score more points than the opposition. And not only by goaling penalties and droppies.
12 Oct 2011, 06:48 am
“Lambie, Francois Hougaard, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh and promising outsiders like Johann Sadie.”
Interestingly, all of these players would fall into the “physically small” category.
Like most of our exciting runners of the last few years.
12 Oct 2011, 06:49 am
Mr Jon,
Some have been saying these things for years now right here on this site.
What have you and Keo and Ryan and others been doing all this time?
Tripping out? Sunbathing? As far as I remember you were all behind the ‘structured rugby’ thing. Some of us saw it as crash, crash, crash, turnover. Oh and don’t forget the ‘kick it away and hope and pray’ strategy – plan B, if there ever was one.
Boring, stupid, cowardly, that’s what it was. I don’t remember you saying anything bad about it.
But better late than never I suppose.
12 Oct 2011, 06:56 am
I have another question. When did this ‘fat-boy rugby’ ever work for South Africa in the past?
How many Tri-Nations have SA won? How many Super titles have SA teams won?
If that is success, than we need never worry about failure!
12 Oct 2011, 06:56 am
JC, you need to point out that leaning too far towards an attacking strategy would do the Springboks no good.
We need a balanced game-plan.
The days we take a backline with only players the size of what you’re talking about, is when we get 50 points put on us in every Tri Nations game (outside of Argie).
12 Oct 2011, 06:57 am
@bozo(genius)-5:
It’s execution that is the problem… not always the game plan.
No coach will ever embrace this all-out attacking rugby that you guys speak of, not for long anyway, because it won’t work.
12 Oct 2011, 07:08 am
Stop blaming the ref for EVERY loss would be a major step in the right direction. Learn how to score points, its a simple game.
12 Oct 2011, 07:21 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-7:
I don’t think anyone has advocated an all out attacking strategy. This almost insane focus on defence comes at the expense of developing instinctive attacking skills within the game plan. A game plan is only a strategy, not a play by numbers approach.
12 Oct 2011, 07:24 am
I was thinking during the Aus game that only Fourie and Lambie really looked like players that could make something happen on attack. There are others who might be able to finish, but you have to make something to finish first. I haven’t seen the Boks offload stats, but I suspect (might be wrong) that against the better teams they aren’t that good. It certainly feels like the Bok runners are more likely to take the tackle and go to ground. This does give you better control of possession, and usually territory with that, but you can’t usually break down world class defenses this way unless your forwards can physically rumble over the line.
When you compare the Bok backline to the Aus and NZ backlines the difference in the number of ‘creative’ players is quite strong. NZ are pretty much a threat from 9 to 15 with everyone of them able to individually create something on attack, and Aus is pretty much the same. In the Boks you get the feeling that 10, 11, 12, & 14 are either not such an attacking threat or excellent finishers/seaguls rather than creators of opportunities.
12 Oct 2011, 07:34 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-7:
I never said to be reckless. Just a balanced approach that utilizes all 15 players not just 4 or 5 who are the biggest, slowest, clumsiest. What do you expect to accomplish with them?
This is a sport, not a war, you have to try things, and at international level you should be able to carry them off. If you cannot, then get off the park!
We watch to see exceptional skills, but not in John Smt’s book. But he was only interested in what he could do.
One day he will be just an unpleasant memory of a dreary time.
12 Oct 2011, 07:39 am
@aliboy(aliboy)-10:
We must be carefull about concentrating on line breakers. The strength of the AB backs is that create space for each other knowing that there’ll be at least 2 support players on each shoulder to offload to.
12 Oct 2011, 07:58 am
the funny irony is that this was one game where our atttack produced the most linebreaks and our general game plan was to run, keep ball in hand and attack.
12 Oct 2011, 07:59 am
let cheating dogs lie…
12 Oct 2011, 08:00 am
Oh here we go again. I don’t know what everyones issue is with Morne Steyn. If you look at stats provided by Verusco, Morne Steyn has made the 3rd most tackles of any SA player. Yes people, this guy cannot defend because he slips 2 or 3 tackles, like ANY other SA player per game. The more you are made to tackle, the higher the likelyhood that sometimes you might slip one. Jamie Roberts is a freak of nature, he runs over ANYONE! Get over this perception that Steyn cannot defend please, or at least back it up with proper stats. I am not saying he is faultless, far from it. But him kicking the ball continueously is “the game plan”. They get coached to play that way, he gets told to do it. Also, if you look at proper stats, Steyn is the top try scoring flyhalf of all the SA players, ever. If you consider this includes “running” flyhalves like the faultless Butch James and Honnibal this stat might be a surprise to you all. The Bulls have been or close to be the top try scoring team in Super Rugby, with a flyhalf who apparently cannot get the backline moving. Get over yourselves all you Butch James fanboys. Yes, Butch was an awesome flyhalf, but he is not up to the standard anymore. Maybe Morne should also start “tackling” without using his arms. That will surely get him some reputation points!
Lambie is the future of SA flyhalves. He has the allround game to be a great player one day. But then he needs to be managed and coached in such a way as to not force him to play a certain way by his franchise and country, an injustice that was caused to Steyn by forcing him to become a kicking flyhalf. SA have always struggled with decent flyhalves, but now we are spoilt for choice. Lambie, Jantjies, Goosen immediately spring to mind, where someone like Katrikilas and Lionel Cronje have also shown lots of promise. To have all those options available to you, plus the experience Steyn already has, cannot be a bad thing.
One position Sa should worry about though is fullback. Frans Steyn has shown enough to warrent a starting spot as inside centre. That is his best position and he should play there, always. Kirchner has shown, like Wynand Olivier, that he is a good provincial player at best. Nobody else really catches the eye at the moment, and if I was the next coach I would actually be tempted to play Lambie at fullback and someone like Jantjies at flyhalf.
Lock is another position that I feel we are in a bit of trouble. Andries Bekker can take over from Matfield, and the likes of Flip van der Merwe, Juandre Kruger, Steven Sykes surely wont let the team down, but they do not have the same impact like Victor and Bakkies has. Our depth at lock will be tested when these players are injured, like it was in the WC.
Let us start looking forward to a new era of players and coaches to come in, and hopefully bring in a more dynamic approach to the game. Lets hope the new coach can also get buy-in from all the franchised, like they have in New Zealand.
Here is to all the players who have served SA for the last few years, you have done us proud, we will remember you for what you are, not what PdV made of you. John Smit you are a legend!
12 Oct 2011, 08:02 am
It is not important if you think defense wins world cups. I think the WC is important but it is only a fixture that occurs every 4 years. What happens in between this period is more important. Scoring tires wins games – lets attack every game – we need a coach that will insist on winning rugby. Winning by scoring more points than the opposition not defending the line and capitalising on mistakes
12 Oct 2011, 08:07 am
@kesbok(kesbok)-16: Rugby is a game of chess, defense and offense go hand in hand. Same applies with Rugby League, but I am not one for checkers.
12 Oct 2011, 08:07 am
Jeez JC, please mix it up a bit, same old stuff over and over again.
12 Oct 2011, 08:11 am
I disagree.
The boks and the game plan completely overpowered the Aussies and put the Boks into several positions to win the game … easily.
The coach does not coach forward passes or missed kicks.
We were easily the best side on the field and I firmly believe that this team and game plan could have won the RWC.
12 Oct 2011, 09:40 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-8: Phew you really are hammering home the whole blaming the ref thing. While I agree there is way too much whingening from us Saffa’s, especially the less knowlegeable bloggers, surely you would have some sympathy after your 2997 experience? Generally speaking there was a lot of whingeing from AB supporters after 2007 as well, I understand you guys took flak on this site back then and it’s sweet revenge for you now but maybe you could cut us some slack?
12 Oct 2011, 09:45 am
@Solo(Solo)-15: Statistically Morne Steyn’s defensive record looks ok but the fact is he makes very “defensive” tackles as opposed to attacking tackles. He rides a lot of his hits and while he eventually brings the man down he has given up 5metres and in many cases a loosie has to also commit to thr tackle to assist him costing us another defender. This not only hurts us defensivley but gives the opposition instant momnetum in that middle channel. We need a flyhalf who can stop runners on the gain line and halt their momentum, that will allow our defensive sturcture to retain their shape for longer. (Jonny Wilkinson is a great example of this)
12 Oct 2011, 10:02 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-2: Gotta agree. If the Boks had had a better offensive strategy based on all options including serious counter attack and SCORING TRIES instead of playing Englands ’03 winning plan they may have blown us all of the park.
When their plan started to fall apart,, as we saw against Samoa they returned to the ‘bomb and hope’ strategy and that in itself showed that there was no plan B.
It is sad to see a team that prides itself on toughness (having) to resort to pulling penalties and droppies as the major part of their campaign. They could have and should have bought a lot more into this tournament.
12 Oct 2011, 10:07 am
What you are saying is that an attitude of scoring more points than the opposition is better than one of conceding fewer points.
12 Oct 2011, 10:35 am
@Solo(Solo)-15: you obviously have not been following the progress of Jaco Taute?
12 Oct 2011, 10:41 am
no matter
how many
ails
we had
and have
if lawrence
reffed according
to the rules
the boks
would have been
in the
semis
i personally
suspect
lawrence
acted deliberately
he is not
nearly as bad
as he was
saturday
those lowlife
nzar’s again
playing
dirty
12 Oct 2011, 11:21 am
I have always thought the fact that Oz and NZ kids play and are exposed to Rugby League at a young age seems to benefit their running lines and off load ability. They just seem to have a better understanding in attack than the Bok players. Our handling is never as assured either under pressure. These seem to be basic skills that our senior Boks have not acquired. Maybe we need to invest more heavily in handling and running skills for youngsters rather than showing adoration for any kid who can kick the ball 50+ meters and run into people with power.
On the plus side some of the youngsters coming through appear to be slightly more rounded in their skill set.
12 Oct 2011, 11:58 am
@XV(XV)-24:
Yes I agree, Taute is a great talent. I forgot about him a bit. Louis Ludik is also not too bad. Only time will tell how they will go at international level though. Taute is still very young so I rate give him another season to develop.
@Skeppie(Skeppie)-21:
I agree with you there, but we could be worse off in the flyhalf channel. I am not trying to make Steyn look like a saint, but how many flyhalves in world rugby defends like Wilkinson and Butch? Carter is also not that great at stopping people dead on, and lets not get started on Cooper. All I am saying is, everyone wanting to drop Steyn for apparent “bad defence” should see the bigger picture as well. I was actually saying to my mate during Saturdays game that they should bring on Aplon and move Lambie to fullback about 50 minutes into the game. Anyway, what is done is done. And I doubt whoever is the next Bok coach will pick Steyn in any case.
12 Oct 2011, 12:05 pm
@Solo(Solo)-27: he is only 20 I understand. But will be 24 at the next RWC so definitely one worth investing in. I used to rate Ludik but he has never been the same player after his knee injury.
12 Oct 2011, 12:06 pm
@Skeppie(Skeppie)-20:
tells ya what
name me ONE match – other than Cardiff’07 – where NZ fans openly blamed the ref after a loss.
I cant name one season when Bok fans have NOT.
Ive just watched the Aus vs SA QterF again. Bad calls, BOTH ways. Good calls, BOTH ways. And it was a really great match. But the reaction from Boks fans is always the same. And yet they always cite ONE match where AB fans blamed the ref as at fault. The AB Capt didnt point any fingers – unlike Smit. And did the Aussies score a try from a fwd-pass (like France at Cardiff) ? No. Did the Boks go an entire 2ndH without ONE penalty awarded to them, like ABs at Cardiff ? No. Did the Boks score atleast ONE try from their wealth of possession & territory, like the ABs did in Cardiff ? No. Did the Boks score a DG despite not having their flyhalf injured (DC) – let alone the reserve-flyhalf (N.Evans) injured as well ? No.
Instead, they blame the ref anyway.
12 Oct 2011, 12:08 pm
@Solo(Solo)-27:
Dan Carter is an incredible defender as a flyhalf. Wake up and smell the guffaws.
12 Oct 2011, 12:15 pm
@David(David)-3:
Same as Cooper,Beale,O’Connor…Add Mitchell & AShley Cooper who are no hulks……But rip teams to shreds regardless of size…..Come to think of it those “small players have shredded NZ/SA the last 18 months at will at times….Likes of Cruden,Dagg,Tom Marshall also coming through in NZ…”smaller” but what they can do….I would want that for SA and likes of Aplon,Hougaard,Lambie,Jantjies,Goosen,Sadie,De Jongh can do as well.
12 Oct 2011, 12:17 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-31:
that ‘Jack’ Russell terrier was superb, but badly handled by SA.
12 Oct 2011, 12:19 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-29: Bloemfontein 2009.. there you are
12 Oct 2011, 12:26 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-32:
Yeah Russell was very good,badly handled indeed which was unfortunate.
Same could be said about NZ & Orene Ai’i,Todd Miller,Sam Tuitupou,Ben Herring,Steve Devine,Regan King etc all little men that deserved better
12 Oct 2011, 12:32 pm
@XV(XV)-24: Jaco Taute has had a good Currie Cup and an average Super 15, how does that now qualify him as the next Springbok 15? We are far too quick to judge talent based on one good season or on performances against weak opposition. IMO the currie cup does not give any indication of whether someone will cope at international level. Lets see how he does in the Super 15 next year before singing his praises too loudly.
12 Oct 2011, 12:36 pm
@Test(Test)-35:
I question his out and out speed as well…Taute
12 Oct 2011, 12:36 pm
For those bloggers on this site who disagree with JC’s article…Ask Graeme Henry if he would relish coaching a team playing against an BARBARS SIDE with the best of SA’s forwards (read: Bismark to start) coached by Robbie Deans with a smattering of OZ backline players in it (Cooper, Genia, O’Connor etc). The boks played an arguably ineffective (What is their win ratio against NZ and Aus again?), outdated and unentertaining brand of rugby. We watch Sport and rugby to be entertained and not bored to death! I’m glad to see the back of the clown Devilliers…give us an astute coaching TEAM, with insight and leadership. not the imposters that have been there for the past four years. Its been painful to see the best EVER Springbok team that should have dominated international rugby, not reach the heights of their potential. It was sad to see the end of the Smit and Matfield era ending with the boks bowing out in the quarters, particularly the manner inwhich it happened (Plonker Bryce Lawrence), but arguably it was the best thing for springbok rugby. Could you imagine another four years of Devilliers and co.???
12 Oct 2011, 12:44 pm
I have no doubt that Taute is the future Bok fullback. He is very quick, very strong in contact, spots opportunities well and now he seems to have added a kicking repertoire to his skills (including long shots at goals).
12 Oct 2011, 12:47 pm
@Solo(Solo)-15: EXCELLENT post Solo! While I am not the biggest Morne’ fan, I do like reporting and perception to be fair and objective. His tackle stats were actually very good in RWC and he was best kicker and so on.
The lack of running and tries is a problem with the team overall, and to a degree in South Africa with the “golden generation”. The Stormers stopped scoring tries too, the Bulls didnt continue their Super Rugby dominance and it went from there.
But calling Morne “swingdoor” is not good journalism. Surprise.
12 Oct 2011, 12:50 pm
@Skeppie(Skeppie)-20: 2997?
12 Oct 2011, 13:42 pm
Ok JC, now explain to me which of the SA S15 teams this year look imaginative in attack? I’m struggling to see how you expect the national coach to create great backline plays if it does not start at S15 level.
The Bulls (who I support) have had the exact same approach and game plan for at least 8 years now, i.e. channel 1 crash ball rugby.
I’ll agree with you on the blame lies with the coach once we have one or two S15 teams who can create tries like the Crusaders or Reds
12 Oct 2011, 13:44 pm
It is just not about attacking , it is about finishing with points when you are in the strike zone – lets be honest SA attacked like demons on Sunday , and basically camped in the Aussie half , but they could not convert this advantage into points , many will claim the false forward pass , FDP dropping the ball over the line etc but SA have not looked there attacking self since 2007 – option taking is critical in the strike zone but it certainly seems very confusing that Springboks most with over 50 caps cannot take the right option in the strike zone ?????
12 Oct 2011, 13:54 pm
This gameplan was sound. Apart from Smit and Habana, the selections were sound too.
If the players were in the form they are capable of, then De Villiers’ pass would not have been forward, Du Preez would have been over the line before Cooper could knock the ball out of his hands, Jacque Fourie would not have lost that ball in contact or passed that ball forward.
In short, the Boks would have won comfortably. But unfortunately, none of these guys, INCLUDING geriatric Butch, are the players they used to be.
We don’t have the attacking players to match a NZ type of game. We can attack through relentless pressure if our ball retention is good enough, and if we have a Bismark/Brussouw combo defending the breakdown, but we that is not an all out attacking game.
Anyway, not really responding to JC’s article as such, because any knowledgeable coach would print it out and use it as toilet paper. That’s about the only bit of value it contains.
12 Oct 2011, 13:56 pm
@stew(stew)-42: Yes, but don’t you think that might be due to lack of game time under pressure as well? Maybe these guys would have been better at finishing if they played the TN?
Eddie Jones commented something interesting, in saying that we seemed to have moved from the Bulls game plan last year to the Stormers one this year. He thought that our backline and players did not look confident yet to implement that …
12 Oct 2011, 13:58 pm
@danuk(danuk)-44:
The Stormers have a gameplan?
12 Oct 2011, 14:01 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-45: Yes, different to the Bulls, i.e. not channel 1 crash ball with WO
12 Oct 2011, 14:05 pm
@danuk(danuk)-46:
Oh. Thanks for clearing that up.
So this gameplan. It produces results then, does it?
12 Oct 2011, 14:06 pm
Whilst it seems the Bok’s attack was clueless the Wallabies must be lauded for their most impressive defensive stats in the history of tests between the two!
They made a huge 251 tackles at 81% success rate, which was almost 4 times (unprecedented) more than the Boks who made 69 tackles at 65% success rate!
Now one must ask why a team with 67% possession (more in the second half) would persist with slogging it up and not attempt a few more drop-goals from the many pockets that were available?
Or why a team that was pilfering 30% of Wallabies LO throws would not kick for touch more when failing to break the granite defence?
Or why at only 5m way from the line on several occasions in the 2nd half, kept swinging the ball wide frenetically, would not attempt a few power mauls?
Not my fellow rugby brethren… the Bok’s continued sloggin it up against the granite Aus defence and failed to revert to their own strengths…
It would have been bitter-sweet irony to have kicked one or two more drop-goals with all that possession and avenge the last time the two met in a RWC and Larkham did the same!
12 Oct 2011, 14:10 pm
@danuk(danuk)-44: Look i am sure we all agree the step up from Provincial to International is a huge step – the Boks did play well on Sunday fact , they tore Aus a new one , and i am sure the Aussie players must have wondered how they won this game – Pocock wasnt as brilliant as the press are making out …. The boks just couldnt finish , this maybe down to basic skills development or like Tac says old age ??
12 Oct 2011, 14:11 pm
@Test(Test)-35: Fair point. I did say he is a player worth investing in. 20 is still young and for me he has shown much promise. That does not make a Bok….but is he any worse now versus Kirchner?
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