Boks prosper when sticking to strengths
10 Nov 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes a marked improvement at the gain line and in their kicking game allowed the Springboks to bounce back in the second half and ultimately steal another win in Dublin.
JP Pietersen couldn’t have picked a less opportune moment to impede.
The Boks were trailing by nine points with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half. All the momentum was with the Irish at that instant, and had the hosts managed to cash in during that period of numerical advantage, the Boks may not have been able to recover in the second stanza.
But recover they did. First they survived the period of sanction without conceding a single point. Then they punished the hosts when Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip was sin-binned to the tune of 10 points, a purple patch of scoring that allowed them to take the lead as well as the initiative.
These were game-shaping moments, and the Boks played them best.
The question is how? How exactly did the Boks hit back? And how does the success of the second half put the nightmare of the first into perspective?
The Boks battled to get into the game during the first half. Their kicking game was off point and their physicality at the gain line was woefully below par.
For whatever reason, they opted to counter-attack on several occasions from deep within their own territory. They also called for complicated set-piece moves despite the fact that they were fielding an inexperienced backline combination.
These are decisions that played into the hands of a depleted, yet well-prepared, Ireland unit.
The Irish have been playing under the new ‘crouch-touch-set’ scrum calls since the beginning of the European season, and this showed as they enjoyed success at the scrums during the early stages.
They also displayed a greater appreciation for Englishman Wayne Barnes’ refereeing style at the breakdown.
The hosts had all the forward momentum in the first half, and because the South Africans kicked poorly out of hand, Ireland were dominating the forward exchanges from inside the Boks’ territory.
To sum it up, the Boks were putting themselves under pressure during that period, and the Irish were building on that.
But the lack of class and experience within this Ireland side was patent if you consider that they didn’t make the Boks pay when Pietersen was sidelined. They also struggled for answers when the Boks went back to a more traditional approach in the second half.
Captain Jean de Villiers should be commended for backing his lineout early in the second period. On three occasions, he turned down a shot at goal, preferring to build some pressure from the lineout and push for a try.
This set piece proved a source of great go-forward for the Boks. The rolling maul was nigh-on unstoppable, and created some point-scoring opportunities as a crucial juncture in the game.
The Boks also tightened up around the park, building through the phases and then showing more precision in terms of their kicking game. They pressured the Irish with some accurate, high-hanging kicks, and managed to win the ball back on several occasions.
Francois Louw was a standout in what was a disappointing first half, and led the breakdown charge once again in the second stanza. The Boks affected some important turnovers in this area, and all-in-all their defence at the rucks was nothing short of outstanding during the final 40 minutes.
So what does it all mean? The Boks must stick to their strengths.
They cannot hope to beat heavyweight teams without first dominating the forward exchanges and then winning the battle for territory.
If they attempt to run every ball from deep within their half, they are going to place themselves under pressure; they are going to give the opposition point-scoring chances.
In the first half, their approach was too high risk and there was no reward. On the contrary, the Boks high-risk approach backfired badly.
The second half was more controlled, clinical, and disciplined. That has to be the norm from hereon in.
Once the platform has been laid, then there will be opportunities to try something out of the box in terms of attack. But not before.
The Boks won in Dublin on Saturday, but hopefully they’ve learned their lesson.
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85 Comments
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11 Nov 2012, 08:08 am
Goodbye Ponting… caught Kallis bowled Morne
11 Nov 2012, 08:09 am
Are they playing on the same pitch???
11 Nov 2012, 08:14 am
Nice man. Ponting for a duck.
What and opening spell by SA.
The best 3 opening bowlers we’ve ever fielded in combination?
What do you think Bill?
11 Nov 2012, 08:15 am
Good call on Elgar. Like for like replacement and he also has a good average. Good age too. Aussies are trying to counter by attacking our quicks. Epic fail and good for Us. Morkel is looking unplayable on this pitch.
11 Nov 2012, 08:17 am
@stormersboy-53:
Hitting the right areas mate! Stick to the basics… Ozzies trying to bash themselves out of trouble which is suiting us…
11 Nov 2012, 08:18 am
Good chance to bring on Rory too. AlsO allows Smith to put his foot on the throat of the Aussies and attack their middle order with this new ball. Make a statement now for the rest of the series.
11 Nov 2012, 08:18 am
@Golden Boy-54:
He can also turn the arm… not bad… Nice to blood the youngsters like this…
11 Nov 2012, 08:19 am
@Gumboots-55: Philander keeping them tight and then Morkel letting them play.
Reminds me of Donald and Pollock.
One tight, the other with more movement
11 Nov 2012, 08:19 am
@Golden Boy-56:
Ja Rory hits the bat hard too… He is quicker than he looks…
11 Nov 2012, 08:20 am
The passive acceptance of the coaching team is what really gets to me. There wasn’t enough of an outcry when the team of Meyer drinking buddies was assembled from the outset and it continues to slip under the radar. Our back-line in particular is being mangled by incompetent coaching. Just a little heat on Meyer to rope in some quality help would go a long way.
As much as I would love Meyer to be fired outright, him being forced into consulting or recruiting some pro’s and getting rid of his yes-men is probably our most realistic bet.
11 Nov 2012, 08:21 am
@stormersboy-58:
The right balance yes… Operating in sync… Team work. What is different here is that Gary backs his players to play to their strenghs – he doesn’t coach their skill out of them… I wonder if someone is watching… no names mentioned…
11 Nov 2012, 08:21 am
@Golden Boy-56: Yes always wondered how their middle order would respond to genuine pace with a fresher ball.
11 Nov 2012, 08:24 am
@Gumboots-61: haha yes there’ll be plenty still to be spoken about this i think
y
I was saying at half time last night “Meyer must stop trying to turn Lambie into a Morne clone and just play the game with the ball”
Mallet was saying it too, and he was spot on.
11 Nov 2012, 08:25 am
@Spiesisworthless1-60:
The less said the better… Let’s enjoy the cricket for now
I have said my say…
11 Nov 2012, 08:26 am
@stormersboy-63:
We can all see it – a pity the coach can’t…
11 Nov 2012, 08:30 am
@Gumboots-61:
G’day mate. Are you listening to the Aussie commentators? Great when they rate this as the best bowling attack in world cricket. They are comparing it to the West Indies of the 1980′s. That’s a fair dinkum compliment.
11 Nov 2012, 08:33 am
@I am a stormer-66:
Morning boet! Yes, coming from Glen McGrath is a huge compliment indeed…
11 Nov 2012, 08:35 am
Come on Louis Oosthuizen – make it a great SA Sunday…
11 Nov 2012, 08:35 am
60. Couldn’t have said it better. For me the logical thing to do would be to use the 7s coach as our back line coach. We should also make better use of the 7s format in order to give talented back line players and back rowers an opportunity to fine tune their running lines and handling skills.
And this aversion SA has to foreign coaches is the antithesis to a so called professional sport. We are deliberately stunting the development of our very good talent pool by using mediocre coaches.
62. Pity we do not have a spinner for after tea. WOuld have been nice to have all the fielders around the bat in the gloom.
11 Nov 2012, 08:38 am
61. Well said!!!
11 Nov 2012, 08:46 am
Don’t want to sound rude but “Welcome to test cricket, Rory.”
11 Nov 2012, 08:48 am
@I am a stormer-71:
He will settle down…
11 Nov 2012, 08:53 am
Poor Rory… getting stick…
11 Nov 2012, 08:59 am
No place for quotas in test cricket…. Message from the cricketing gods
11 Nov 2012, 09:02 am
Good to let him get some overs under the belt now. Tonight they will analyze where he went wrong and hecwillvalso be more settled in the morning. Very good to see the senior bowlers at long off and long on to help him settle.
11 Nov 2012, 09:05 am
74. Tell that to Shane Warne and Jaque Kallis. How were there averages in the first 10 tests?
11 Nov 2012, 09:09 am
@Golden Boy-76:
Ignore the trolls…
11 Nov 2012, 09:14 am
True. I’m out for the day. Nice chatting to you guys. Really miss the cricket thread that keo had on here a few years back. For some reason there were hardly any trolls on there. Pity the rugby bloggers have a different approach.
Cheers.
11 Nov 2012, 09:18 am
Shane and kallis had class… You could see it… Also at first class level?.. Kleinveldt 4th on domestic bowling avg in 2013… In a very kak std supersport series… A bit bias arent we….
11 Nov 2012, 09:19 am
Anyway… I called it… I was right…. Just love it
11 Nov 2012, 09:19 am
@Golden Boy-78:
Cheers mate… I’m also outta here…
Let’s hope the boys do the trick…
11 Nov 2012, 09:26 am
Jissus Morne – another no-ball costs us.
11 Nov 2012, 11:11 am
Once again Adriaan had to save JDV from complete humiliation. Poor Jean stood there after 40 looking like he couldn’t decide whether he should cry or scream.
Face it!! Jean is completely out of his league, especially when it comes to captaincy. This is the 4th time this year that Adriaan had to take over captaincy halfway through the game!
Urgh. Can’t believe Jean stood there after the game (interviews) looking as if he was the one who pulled the team through.
11 Nov 2012, 12:00 pm
@Kaizan-8:
You need to watch the game again, Pienaar was very good and cleared the ball quicker than any scrummie I’ve seen in a while.
11 Nov 2012, 12:36 pm
We were slightly depleted as well, no Beast, no F Steyn, No Bismarck.
Things might have gone better with the more established players in the team, then again I migHt be grasping at straws.
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