Super Rugby star highlights how the Springboks can beat All Blacks
Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall says the All Blacks need to front up in two key areas of their game if they are to defeat the high-flying Springboks next month.
After a two-year absence from international rugby amid concerns regarding Covid-19, the Springboks backed up their 2019 World Cup triumph with a test series win over the British and Irish Lions over the weekend.
Their status as World Cup champions, World Rugby’s top-ranked side and the first team to defeat the British and Irish Lions in a test series in 12 years leaves them as the team to beat on the international stage.
It also sets up a tantalising return to the Rugby Championship for the South Africans after they dropped out of the competition last year in the midst of the global pandemic.
The Springboks, who won the truncated 2019 edition of the Rugby Championship in their last tournament appearance, will mark their return to the competition this weekend when they host Argentina in Port Elizabeth.
The headline acts of this year’s Rugby Championship, though, are the back-to-back clashes between the All Blacks and Springboks scheduled to be played in Dunedin and Auckland in September and October.
Those matches will be the first contests between the traditional rivals since 2019, when the All Blacks and Springboks drew 16-all in the Rugby Championship before the Kiwis beat the South Africans 23-13 in the pool stages of the World Cup.
However, given South Africa’s recent successes, the Springboks may fancy their chances heading into their upcoming matches against the All Blacks in what promises to be a pair of box office encounters.
Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Hall highlighted two key areas the Springboks will look to take advantage of against the All Blacks as they aim to extend their unbeaten run on Kiwi soil to three straight matches.
One of those key areas, Hall said, is the aerial contest, which was a big sticking point throughout the Lions series, while the other is the battle at the breakdown.
The three-time Super Rugby and two-time Super Rugby Aotearoa champion halfback suggested that South Africa’s big, heavy forward pack are capable of slowing the opposition’s ball down at the ruck.
That, he said, nips the opposition’s attack at the bud and allows the South African defensive line to get set and provide line speed pressure that nullifies an already stagnant attacking line.
The All Blacks may have one hand on the Bledisloe Cup but they’ll need to up their game ahead of the upcoming Rugby Championship, kicking off this weekend. #NZLvAUS #AllBlacks
?? @PatMcK6https://t.co/tUQhzF4G5O
— The XV Rugby (@TheXV) August 10, 2021
Hall added the precision of South Africa’s box kicking and their efficient escorting ability proved to be key in their series success over the Lions.
“Two things that they [the Springboks] would probably have to nail is obviously the aerial battle,” Hall told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“You see, in the Lions series, they were really good at the kick execution, and then flooding the rucks to be able to slow down the ball for then their line to get set and get width and then to bring that line speed pressure.
“Especially with the big, physical men that they have, they have the ability to slow down the ball and, in turn, set up the Lions to not be able to play, and then to be able to execute with their box kicks.
“So, I think it’s going to be really important, our attack off their kick escorts and being able to escort right to get our guys an opportunity to win the ball, and our attack off that, and then I just think our breakdown is going to be massive.”
Hall made note of how the All Blacks thrived during their 33-25 Bledisloe Cup win over the Wallabies over the weekend when they were able to gain ascendency up front through dominant ball carries and effective breakdown play.
“If you look around the weekend, when we’re playing well and we’re playing on top of teams, when we did score our points, we were going through them with boys going through, good footwork, going through them, really good cleans, and then quick ball for Nuggy [Aaron Smith] to be able to play on top of them.”
However, the 29-year-old also acknowledged how the All Blacks have failed in that area since the last World Cup as he pinpointed their inability to win the breakdown battle as they key reason behind their losses to the Wallabies and Los Pumas last year.
While the All Blacks remain undefeated this year, they have again encountered problems at the breakdown over the past few weeks, most notably in the first test against Fiji last month.
Hall said those shortcomings on the physicality front need to be addressed if the All Blacks are to defeat the Springboks.
Nothing less than a polished 80-minute performance by the Wallabies on Saturday will stop the All Blacks from retaining the Bledisloe Cup for an 19th straight year. #Wallabies #BledisloeCup https://t.co/zKVoQ24801
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 10, 2021
“If we don’t get that right, and we saw scenes of that last year with Argentina and Australia in the test matches that we did lose, we lost that breakdown battle,” he told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“So, if you’re the South Africans, you’re probably thinking, ‘If we can nail that physicality battle’, knowing that us Kiwis want to play a little bit more, then we’re going to fall back into their trap of some of the things that the Lions did … and then the South Africans were able to pounce on that.”
Ex-All Blacks hooker James Parsons added the New Zealanders will need to find a way to negate South Africa’s defensive line speed.
The former two-test international suggested attacking kicks and taking advantage of the experimental 50/22 law could prove to be valuable assets for the All Blacks against the Springboks.
Parsons also highlighted Springboks midfielder Lukhanyo Am as a particularly astute defender who could deny the All Blacks space out wide to attack from.
“I think they [the All Blacks] would have to work out how they can manipulate their D [the Springboks’ defence], work out how they can manipulate their D, change their D to work on their terms,” Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“Whether it was attacking kicks or utilising this new 50/22 or somehow making their rush D have to adjust.
“It could be a classic chip and chase with Richie [Mo’unga] or Beady [Beauden Barrett] in behind, because there is a bit of space in behind there.
“Not over there [in the outside channels], because … Am is quite good at covering both and getting back, but there could be some space in behind there [the defensive line].
“It would be that balance of attack and run and kick and how you manipulate their D to open up opportunities for yourself on attack.”
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments