The Springboks beat the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship in Pretoria by 43 points to 12 in the Rugby Championship opener in Pretoria on Saturday evening. We take a look at the key takeaways the Springboks will take from this matchup.
Springboks beat the Wallabies 43-12
Before we take that look, we cannot resist highlighting the own goal scored by Wallabies coach Eddie Jones in the leadup to this match. He took a pot-shot at the Springboks, allegedly stating that he did not want to put away a half-baked Springbok team. This was in response to the Springboks coaching team’s stated intent to adopt the same split squad strategy used in 2019 prior to their successful Rugby World Cup campaign in Japan. The Wallabies were very disappointing playing against the split-squad (half-baked) Bok team that ran out to face them. Whether the Wallabies coach was correctly quoted or not, it highlights the fact that the Springboks have built strength in depth.
South Africa 43
Tries: Kurt-Lee Arende (3), Penalty tries (2), Pieter-Steph du Toit
Conversions: Manie Libbok (3) Penalty: Libbok
Australia 12
Tries: Marika Koroibete, Carter Gordon Conversion: Gordon
The lineout needs work
We have to appreciate that this was the first run-out of the international season and nothing was going to be perfect. There were a few skew lineout throws. The biggest issue was how often the Wallabies successfully competed against the throw. This should improve as Jean Kleyn settles into the squad and timing with the hookers improves.
The lineout maul variation
The Springboks beat the Wallabies easily and one of the key reasons was adding some variation to the lineout maul. The Boks have been very predictable in their use of the maul and opponents were becoming very adept at defending against it. On Saturday, the Springboks made liberal use of changing the contact point after winning the lineout. This made their strike play less predictable and put heavy pressure on the Wallabies maul defense. The play that lead to the second of Kurt-Lee Arendse’s second try was a thing of beauty and was a classic case of playing the situation. Following a deep lineout through, the Wallabies over-tracked the Springbok maul. This left Marco van Staden open to make a break and pass to Bongi Mbonambi, who had not joined the maul and was standing in the tramlines. After a short run, he passed to Arendse, who ran a fantastic outside line from behind him.
A Springbok winger in a scrumcap 🕺
Kurt-Lee Arendse’s two tries and Manie Libbok’s conversions give the Springboks a 17-5 lead at the break 👏
📺 Stream #RSAvAUS live: https://t.co/bDeiretOMn pic.twitter.com/xxUHiR5bzS
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 8, 2023
Improved ruck play
The Springboks are generally good at attacking the ball in the ruck. What was impressive was their speed to the ruck to defend the ball carrier and possession. This has been a small concern for a while, but Saturday’s effort was a significant improvement. This fits well with a higher-tempo game reliant on retaining ball possession.
Accuracy of phase-play
This aspect was very good to a point. After numerous phases of play, the Springboks reset started to falter. Players were arriving at their positions slightly late. This led to players in possession pushing passes to players who were not quite in position or simply not where they were expected to be. This led to passes being grassed and the occasional counter-attack by the Wallabies.
Overall discipline
The Springboks overall discipline was very good. This ensured that referee Ben O’Keefe did not play a role in their fortunes. The same cannot be said of the Wallabies. They leaked numerous penalties, including two yellow cards and penalty tries.
READ MORE: Ireland beat the Springboks: Obvious Bok mistakes
The Springboks beat the Wallabies, but the All Blacks will be much more well-equipped to punish the Boks if they don’t tighten up on their lineouts. They would also relish the counter-attack opportunities if they are offered the same number of grassed passes the Boks dished up on Saturday.
The Springboks face the All Blacks on Saturday 15 July in Auckland. Kick-off is 9h05 South Africa time.
Main photo credit: @springboks
