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Springboks' Welsh discovery after 'a proper Six Nations analysis'

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Jacques Nienaber has insisted he hasn’t bought into the doom and gloom currently surrounding the soon-to-tour Wales team, the Springboks boss instead outlining the dangers that Wayne Pivac’s squad pose to his South Africa side. The 2021 Guinness Six Nations champions came a cropper in the recent championship, winning just one match to finish fifth and becoming the butt of numerous jokes when beaten in Cardiff by Italy.

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That was the first win for the Italians in the tournament since 2015 and it massively dented the reputation of the Welsh under Pivac. However, Springboks coach Nienaber has formed a very different view having reviewed the entire five-match championship played by Wales and he is taking nothing for granted ahead of the three-Test series that begins in Pretoria on July 2.

Taking some time from the training week in Pretoria to host an online midweek media briefing, Nienaber unloaded his thoughts about written-off Wales and specified exactly why he doesn’t share the pessimism that had surrounded Pivac and co since March.

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Marcell Coetzee previews Bulls v Leinster URC semifinal

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Marcell Coetzee previews Bulls v Leinster URC semifinal

“If you look at our history with Wales, in my mind I believe it is going to be a tightly contested series. Last year, the end of year tour was the first time we actually pulled off a victory in Wales since 2013. I’m not sure about the dates but it was quite some time. It was something like eight years.

“And then if you look at our last couple of outings since I have been with the Boks since 2018, we lost in Washington, we lost on the end of year tour, then we got a victory in the World Cup semi-final and it was a penalty, that was the difference. If you look at the last game last year, we only got scoreboard pressure on Wales, not even pressure we just got control of the scoreboard on 72 or 73 minutes.

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“So Wales will be a tough one, especially for us. They know how we play and we have got a pretty good idea of how they play and it is always an arm wrestle. The interesting thing for me on Wales when I did a proper analysis of them from the Six Nations, everyone will remember the loss to Italy but the French, who actually won a Grand Slam, scored three points in the last 70 minutes of that Test match.

“They were 10-3 or 10-0 up after ten minutes and they won it 13-9 so that gives you the quality of Wales, that they can push that French side. And the same for England, when Wales played them at Twickenham they were 17-0 down with 20, 30 minutes to go and England won that game by just five points, 24-19 or something like that. I’m under no illusion that it is going to be a proper series.”

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Nienaber currently has 17 players with him at the Springboks preliminary preparation camp, players whose club seasons are already over, and with Wales having no representatives in the final eight of the URC season, he is expecting them to be very well prepared by the time they fly into South Africa for the Test series.

“What I can tell you about Wales is they always bring a physical edge, their set-pieces are always well-coached and also the defence off set-pieces are well-coached and then they are tactically smart. When they last played us they had a good kicking game, they pinned us down in our half so there are certain things that you have to focus on and it is always a scrappy affair against the Welsh, it is always an arm wrestle.

“Since I came back in 2018, we got well beaten on the end of year tour where there was a ten-point margin between the two sides but all the other games, it’s two points, three points. That is what they will bring, they will bring physicality, they will bring pride, they are willing to take it to the gutters if they have to, they can open it up if they want to, so that is the intensity they will bring and they will bring a well-coached side that will have four weeks preparation time with their coaches.

“They will be well prepared and they will have made their plans for us with their club sides not making the playoffs of the URC. They are already in camp and preparing for us so they will be well prepared.”

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Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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