The Springboks lethargic first-half performance cost them dearly in their Rugby Championship matchup against the All Blacks on Saturday. There were a number of issues that contributed to the Springboks lethargic first-half performance and loss on Saturday and we consider a few of them here. Before we do that, we need to pay our respects to Harry Etzebeth. Harry, father of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, succumbed to cancer on Thursday. Eben was given the opportunity to decide if he would play or not. He opted to stay in New Zealand to take the field against the All Blacks.
Springboks lethargic first half
The Springboks were poor in the first half. We will take a look at the main issues for that and a few others that were evident throughout the game. The first thing that needs to be done is to acknowledge that the All Blacks pitched up for the game. The Springboks did not in the first half. As in 2019, we don’t know exactly how good they will be when they land in France to compete in Rugby World Cup 2023.
The J-factor
This is not an excuse or reference to the usual complaint about jet lag. The bulk of the Springbok squad that played on Saturday was in New Zealand two weeks before the game. The J-factor is Japanese League One. Kwagga Smith was probably the best of the Springboks “Japanese contingent” that started the game, with Willie le Roux a close second. The rest seemed to be very short of a run and not prepared for the step up in pace and physicality between playing professional club rugby in Japan and Test rugby. Players such as Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, Faf de Klerk, Damian de Allende were well below their best. The All Blacks took the Springboks on at their traditional strength. Their physicality. The Springboks were simply not prepared for that.
The contrast between the Springboks in the first and second half was significant. It was no coincidence that it was early in the second half that players such as RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams and Duane Vermeulen entered the fray. All players who had played against Australia the week before. The exception was Malcolm Marx. His performance belied his “J-factor” status.
The C-factor
The C-factor played into the All Blacks hands. Consistency in selection. The All Blacks made four changes to their starting team. The Springboks made nine and it showed. The Springbok split squad concept is in play for a reason. The risk is what happened in the first half in Auckland.
The missing Springbok defense
The Springbok defense was missing in action. Some wags implied that the Springbok first-half defense was found drunk in a shebeen in Johannesburg. The All Blacks did not follow the popular route to try to beat the Springboks rush defense on the outside. It was far too easy to beat the defense by running into the weak inside shoulders of players not up for the contact. This can again be attributed to the J-factor.
The number eight conundrum
The fact that Duane Vermeulen is by far the best number eight in South Africa is not the conundrum. The conundrum is who is his understudy? Did Nienaber and Erasmus back the wrong horses on this one? Both Wiese and Roos have done well playing for the Tigers and Stormers respectively. Are they show ponies? Neither has been able to replicate their club-level performances at Test level in big games.
The Springboks lethargic first half against the All Blacks is not season-defining
We did warn that the mistakes made against Australia would be punished by the All Blacks. The much-changed Springbok team did not help them improve on the errors of last week. The All Blacks fed off that. The Springboks outlook is not all doom and gloom. No other top-level team capable of winning a Rugby World Cup has the challenges South Africa faces. Players are assembled from local teams and competitions. The Top 14. The J-League. The Premiership. URC teams in the UK. It takes time to get them all aligned. Siya Kolisi and Handre Pollard will be back from injury. Lukhanyo Am is nowhere near being sharp after his knee injury. The J-factor players will peak in time for the Rugby World Cup.
The best thing the Springboks brains trust can do for the team right now is to get an AFL coach on board. The All Blacks beat South Africa with their superior kick chase. Not in the actual chase, but getting up in the air to compete for the ball.
Food for thought…
Main Photo credit: SA Rugby
