The Lions went after the biggest weakness in this Springboks team
The game plan to beat the Springboks isn’t pretty, but it has been visible for some time.
Highlighted by New Zealand and Wales during the World Cup in Japan, the Springboks often struggled in the air throughout that tournament. In the humid conditions, the drop rate in the South African backfield was high, with Cheslin Kolbe really the only safe pair of hands.
The high ball was certainly the Achilles heel of a Springboks defensive system, and the aerial game was the perfect tonic to neutralise the hard-hitting front line. A smart kicking game can effectively make the Springboks’ wall redundant, something that England failed to realise.
It was the hallmark failure of England’s World Cup final, not registering a single kick contest until the second half as Ben Youngs and George Ford went awol on the kicking front.
You don’t have to go through the defence, you can go over it time and time again.
Every time the ball is hoisted in the air, the defensive line is turned around and has to chase back, unsure whether they will be on attack or defence when the ball comes down.
If you win back possession, that defensive line is scrambling to reset and nowhere near as solid as it is when playing a predictable attacking shape.
With the Springboks defensive line being the strength and their aerial game the weakness, why would you do anything different?
This is exactly how Wales went about their semi-final two years ago under Warren Gatland, ultimately coming away just three points short but showing some chinks in the armour. New Zealand used it to score two quick strikes and win their pool game. Stay away from the lineout and play contestable kicks.
When Wales were accurate with their kicking and generating contestable balls in Yokohama, it led to points and opportunities from territorial gains off regained possession.
As the British and Irish Lions toiled hard against a solid Springboks defence for nearly 40 minutes, they could not find a crack.
Elliot Daly at centre was punished behind the gain line on nearly every carry, hammered by Lukhanyo Am in the second minute from the first set-piece launch. The Lions were giving away penalties unnecessarily, such as Tom Curry taking Faf de Klerk out after the kick leading to frustration.
The Springboks were winning the territorial arm wrestle and accumulating threes to bend the game in their favour.
Although there wasn’t much between the sides, the Lions certainly didn’t seem to have a tactical advantage and struggled to go forward against a fierce defence.
And then, on the stroke of halftime, a sign.
Ali Price hoisted a box kick inside the opposition half that Kolbe could not bring in under the pressure of a Duhan van der Merwe contest. Moments later, Price sent nearly an exact replica sky-high that was fumbled by Pollard, leading to a Lions penalty.
Two-from-two, with the key feature being pressure in the form of a contest.
It was like the Lions had found the cheat code to unlimited metres on the Springboks.
Starting the second half, Price hoisted away an exit box kick, asking Kwagga Smith to clean up a bouncing ball.
Penalised for not releasing under the swarming Lions kick-chase, they earnt a piggyback penalty deep inside the Springboks 22 from which they kicked to the corner again and rolled the maul over for the first try of the game.
It was the worst possible start to the half for the home side, giving up over 80 metres and seven points in a heartbeat.
The Springboks could have got one back from their own kick recovery moments later but a counter-attacking try to Willie le Roux was rubbed out. The pass from De Allende was more questionable than the offside call, which looked slightly forward, but the offside decision did no favours for Marius Jonker’s officiating as TMO.
They did get a long-range try to Faf de Klerk from a period of unstructured play after a wild pass from Pollard went 25-metres backwards and a few Lions defenders took some poor angles as the Springboks ripped through and made them pay.
After the Lions returned with a Biggar penalty, again they went to the box kick from the restart to ask the Boks again to catch under pressure. This time Courtney Lawes recovered the bouncing ball to streak away downfield to spark the Lions and before long it was 17-16 with another Biggar penalty.
More free metres and points from the inability of the Springboks backfield to diffuse.
It was no surprise to see Price go for another contested box kick directly after the kickoff, resulting in another calamity and Lions re-winning possession.
A few phases later, Biggar hoisted a bomb that ended with Van der Merwe streaking away towards the try line only to be called back for a Lions knock-on.
Robbie Henshaw and Van der Merwe towered over Kolbe underneath it and it was only a matter of which Lions player was going to come down with it. Unfortunately for the tourists, Henshaw got a touch first.
The Springboks, stuck in the quagmire deep in their own half, had no option to exit giving the Lions the ball back and another three points was on the way, with the Lions taking the lead 19-17.
In a little over 20-minutes, taking the supercharged aerial route gave the Lions 16 points. The Springboks lost all control in the match as a bombardment of box kicks tested their catching skills.
When Conor Murray came on, the barrage did not stop. His first two kicks were dropped by Kolbe and Mapimpi, giving the Lions key territory and possessions late in the game.
Elton Jantjies spilt an Owen Farrell bomb which would have been a free mark inside his own 22. They had no option to clear the lines and then concede a penalty from the proceeding line out maul.
Up stepped Farrell to clinch a five-point advantage with two minutes to go to force the Springboks to score a converted try to win the game, which they were held off from doing.
The Springboks were destroyed in the second half through the air.
Tactically, the Lions exposed the biggest flaw in this Springboks team – catching and handling. They turned the game into a battle of skills rather than brute strength and power and then did not let up when the South Africans couldn’t handle it.
The best team in the world is expected to win, period. You have to win in multiple ways and can’t rely on a one-dimensional game plan. You have to be strong in all areas to withstand different challenges. If you can’t, you’ll be knocked off your perch.
When you get thrown something different, you can’t capitulate.
This was always going to be the challenge for this Springboks group. They hadn’t proven to be the complete package. This wasn’t a dominant period of success yet. They hadn’t won in multiple ways and put together an 85-90 per cent winning test season.
The World Cup run wasn’t conquering all before them, far from it. It was a great achievement but it wasn’t the sole right to greatness. It must be earnt every day. And in their first real test as World Champions they fell apart in a 20-minute period under the high ball.
You can point to this call or that call but there aren’t any excuses for champions, and to their credit they aren’t making any.
But if the Springboks want to remain the world’s best in 2021, nothing short of turning around and winning the series is required from this 1-0 deficit.
Comments on RugbyPass
Havili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
61 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
61 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to comments