Tupou Vaa'i on foiling the Springboks' midfield lineout drive

The Springboks, never afraid of unconventional play, brought their midfield lineout drive to Eden Park on Saturday. It didn’t go well.

It was just 11 minutes into the contest when the visitors called the play. A Damian de Allende crash ball was the one phase that preceded the move, with seven Springboks lined up behind the inside centre, three of whom were backs who secured the ruck.

Then, Grant Williams lobbed the pass up to Ruan Nortje, who was lifted and collected the ball. As the lock hit the ground, both Sott Barrett and Codie Taylor targeted Nortje’s pass to Marco van Staden, separating the first and second rows of Springbok forwards while Tupou Vaa’i targeted the third. The ball hit the deck, and the Springboks were penalised for a knock-on.

“We were well primed for it,” Vaa’i told 1News the day after the match, reflecting on the play. “I guess we understood the rules around it. I was glad I didn’t have to stick my head into another maul, which was pretty nice.

“You want to get ahead of the game, and us lads had done our homework. We reacted to what we saw in front of us.”

Points Flow Chart

New Zealand win +7

Time in lead

81

Mins in lead

0

100%

% Of Game In Lead

0%

22%

Possession Last 10 min

78%

0

Points Last 10 min

7

After the knock-on paused play, Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx had a question for referee Karl Dickson, who could be heard responding, “There’s no maul”.

Regardless of its success, the play signalled the Springboks’ willingness to employ new tactics. That’s a mindset the All Blacks are wary of heading into this week’s rematch in Wellington.

After falling short in round one of the Rugby Championship against the Wallabies, South Africa responded with a much more conservative game plan and won in round two.

Their selections for round four suggest another change of ploy is coming. Regardless, New Zealand is expecting a response.

“You obviously saw what they did [in Cape Town] after they lost to the Aussies. We know what’s coming. They’re going to be up for it, similarly to us after we beat Argentina in Test one. They (Argentina) beat us in Test two, so we know what it’s going to take to get the job done this week.

“Obviously, the Freedom Cup is on the line too, so that’s something we’ll be chasing.”

To win back said trophy, the All Blacks must produce a better showing at scrum time. A New Zealand scrum in the 61st minute saw them overpowered dramatically as the visitors rolled over the ball to win it back. Three phases later, the Boks scored, making it a one-score game.

It was South Africa’s first try of the game, and it seemingly breathed life into the team after a handful of failed opportunities in the New Zealand 22. But Vaa’i said the issues have been addressed and he was happy with how his side responded – with a try of their own five minutes later.

“We took it on the chin. We spoke about it this morning. We got our timings wrong and our set-up… hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”