New Zealand rugby coaches will be poring over video footage of unbeaten Tri-Nations champions South Africa this week to find a way through a seemingly impregnable defence.
The Springboks may not be the classiest of attacking rugby sides, but their three wins from three matches in this year’s series is a tribute to a swarming defensive pattern that has flummoxed New Zealand and Australia.
And if the All Blacks cannot come up with a formula before Saturday night’s Test in Dunedin, then South Africa stand to win their first consecutive Tri-Nations titles.
South African coach Jake White, who has turned the Springboks’ fortunes around in the past two years, said the emphasis on defence cashes in on his players’ natural tendency to want to exert physical dominance.
”I read a lot about New Zealand and the whole confrontational set-up, and that’s something you guys pride yourselves on,” he told a gathering of New Zealand journalists.
”We pride ourselves on defence. We’ve built a defensive pattern that complements the way we want to play rugby.”
New Zealand coach Graham Henry said the Springboks deliberately hand the ball to their opponents and then seek to impose themselves.
”They could have that possession but they’ve decided not to keep the ball in hand, they’ve kicked the ball down the other end,” Henry said. ”They rely on their defence to turn the ball over and use that to score tries. Not a bad policy, it’s been working.”
Video analysis of South Africa’s win over the Wallabies last weekend showed the Springboks made more than 200 tackles, an extraordinary number for a Test, and while such a high count would tire most teams, All Blacks backs coach Wayne Smith noted ”they’re able to maintain the intensity”.
The other ace in White’s deck is the way his powerful forward pack is able to control scrums and line-outs.
”More tries are scored from line-outs than from scrums. So, if you win their ball, you’re taking away opportunities from them and creating more opportunities for yourself to score,” White said.
New Zealand line-out supremo Chris Jack readily conceded he and partner Ali Williams were overshadowed by their towering South African opposites Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha in the Cape Town Test two weeks ago, which the Springboks won 22-16.
Jack said the South African pair had played with more intensity and physical prowess than he and Williams had mustered so far in the tournament.
”They’re the best in the world at the moment, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. ”We’re not a combination that people are scared of or physically fear, and that’s something the South African boys have got at the moment.”
If the All Blacks video analysis has uncovered anything negative in the Springboks style, it is that the onus on defence has restricted their own attacking opportunities.
Tapes of the Cape Town Test show the All Blacks made 14 more line breaks than the Springboks, although the swarming defence restricted them to just one try.
But while defence is winning matches, White acknowledges the attacking skills need working on.
”We need to be as ruthless with the ball in hand as we are on defence,” he said.
To get points on the board, the Springboks rely heavily on the opportunist talents of wing Bryan Habana, who has scored 12 times in 11 Tests, including two end-to-end solo efforts against Australia last weekend and another against the All Blacks the week before that.
”If you’re not keeping your width and you turn the ball over, then someone like that’s going to hurt you,” said Smith.
All Blacks wing Rico Gear, who is entrusted with marking Habana, said the Springboks’ pattern left ample room around Habana but it could not be exploited because of their smothering defence.
”There is a lot more space out there than normal,” he said. ”For us, it’s about finding ways that we can use that space, whether it’s ball in behind or using better lines to get the ball wide. Standing with a little bit more depth than normal may give us more time. If we can do that, it may help.” — Sapa-AFP