No one bought the Springboks' set piece charade

The first Test in Johannesburg featured the most lopsided scrum in rugby history, with South Africa seemingly dominating the All Blacks on every feed.

It looked like a masterclass in scrummaging and a demonstration of a weapon of mass destruction.

Until we got contrary evidence.

Once the reserve front rows came on, the scrum stabilised with no advantage to the Springboks for the final half hour. Then head coach Dave Rennie revealed that Ethan de Groot played through illness, coming down sick the night before.

The mirage that was sold to the South African public was that this would be a one-sided series at scrum time. Those expectations were set on a false premise during those first exchanges playing against a sick loosehead prop.

Yes, they demolished Ireland in November, and demolished France before that. They seriously discounted the All Blacks’ ability and overestimated their own.

When the second Test rolled around, the South Africans were baying for blood at scrum time that didn’t come. Instead, Angus Gardner was having none of their antics.

The first All Blacks’ feed and scrum of the game in the 7th minute was clear. Gardner set the mark and wanted each hooker slightly left of it. No walking around, stealing extra inches, setting up more to the left after the mark is set. Gardner tells the front rows, “that’s where it stays,” and instructs Fourie; “don’t shift it”.

The scrum was called back early for more instructions on the brake foot. On the actual scrum, Fourie’s brake foot goes off early; the scrum collapses, but Roigard played the ball quickly. Play resumes.

On the second scrum, this time South Africa’s feed, loosehead Steenekamp attacks Lomax legally with an extra shunt, loses his footing and collapses to his knees. He tries to drag down Lomax to hide his failed attempt.

The Springboks get the ball out and escape any sanction.

The third scrum is an All Blacks feed inside their own 22. Gardner calls up hooker Fourie for setting up way left of the mark and instructs him, “don’t play around”. He warns a free kick will be blown if they keep delaying. The scrum holds, then collapses simultaneously as Roigard clears the ball to Love for a clearing kick.

The fourth scrum is in the 35th minute when Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx are subbed into the game after the Springboks win a penalty five metres out from the try line.

They call a scrum and there are new front rowers in the game.

Gardner tells Marx, “heel on the floor, patience on the call”. He warns the Boks twice not to walk around; “don’t step around, stay square”.

Marx delays the entire scrum to point at the mark again and debate the set up with Gardner. He gets called up for changing his footing; Gardner instructs him to “put it back”. The Springboks’ front row are being policed, and it’s clear they don’t like the extra attention.

Codie Taylor loses his footing and collapses, and the All Blacks are rightly penalised. The Springboks opt to scrum again.

On the next feed, South Africa starts to wheel with Nche taking a step left to twist the bind. Gardner originally lets play go but under TMO instruction, gives the Boks penalty advantage. South Africa score through Siya Kolisi two phases later.

From the five scrums in the first half, the Boks get penalties at two of them, were policed on setting the mark properly on all of them, and avoid sanction for Steenekamp collapsing.

On the three scrums that didn’t result in a penalty awarded, there is nothing to reward South Africa for.

On the first scrum of the second half, a defensive feed to South Africa, Gardner stops the set up to once again tell Marx again: “Don’t shift your foot”.

It’s a repeated occurrence now, with both Marx and Fourie doing everything they can to set up wider of the mark. Marx protests, but Gardner has none of it: “Don’t play games with the feet”.

On the far side, Ox Nche starts niggle by first putting his head directly below Lomax so that there can be no engagement. The front rows are given a warning.

After two collapsed scrum resets, Nche goes again, this time driving Lomax inward with his head. He’s finally pinged, and a free kick is given to New Zealand.

It was absolute nonsense from South Africa that successfully chewed up the clock and slowed the game down. They won’t be unhappy about it as they got what they wanted, which was time burnt off the clock.

By the sixth scrum in the 56th minute, the All Blacks have a new front row on, with Fletcher Newell at tighthead, Asafo Aumua and Xavier Numia.

The All Black hold firm like a rock, with South Africa’s shove ineffective. Wilco Louw loses his footing, but the All Blacks want to play on and do so. South Africa escape sanction for collapsing on the tighthead side.

In the next scrum, the Springboks get a good push on the feed but it wheels immediately.

It’s the only scrum that South Africa can claim as “unrewarded”, however, a reset or All Blacks penalty for wheeling are also plausible outcomes. Gardner allows play on, consistent with the calls on the previous two scrums that had a Bok prop collapse.

On the eighth, ninth and 10th scrums, again the All Blacks hold the Boks’ shove firm with zero ground lost. It’s stable, and Roigard & Preston have fast ball in and out.

Most resets during the game were from Gardner policing the mark before an engagement. The Boks were repeatedly called up on trying to set up way left of the mark for the first 50 minutes.

Two scrums where the Bok prop collapsed were left to play on that could have been blown for the All Blacks, while one wheeled scrum was also left to play on.

Rennie wants to give feedback, as is his right, and he said there were issues with walking around. Gardner policed it well, but it cost the All Blacks time, and it proved to be a valuable stalling tactic by the Boks. Perhaps Rennie has an issue with the lost time.

Erasmus knows exactly what cat-and-mouse games his front rowers are doing and he’s deflecting after they were caught out by Gardner continuously.

The All Blacks’ reserve front row has been outstanding in both games, particularly Fletcher Newell; the scrum is rock solid with him on the field.

Newell and Aumua starting could be an option for the third Test, or they could come in during the first half like Nche and Marx did if there are issues early. Ethan de Groot is due back, and he’ll need a better showing than the first Test.

There was no scrum dominance to speak of from South Africa in this game, and their abuse of the mark wasn’t tolerated.

The bottom line is the Springboks scrum was way overhyped after the first Test.