'We know there is a lot of heat coming': All Blacks expecting Bok barrage
All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree is very familiar with South African rugby, having played for the Natal Sharks for a decade and coached the side once his playing days were finished.
From provincial rugby with Taranaki, Plumtree made the leap to Durban to join the Sharks were he played for the club 80 times. Having lived and breathed South African rugby, Plumtree is expecting a backlash this week as they prepare to take on the All Blacks after two straight losses to the Wallabies.
“They’ll be hurting a lot,” Plumtree told the media at Tuesday’s press conference.
“They are a proud rugby nation and they think they will have a bit of a corral mentality especially when their own media and fans, when they start getting stuck into the Springboks that’s when they became an even more dangerous animal.”
Plumtree didn’t think the Springboks would change too much from their kicking-oriented game, saying it was ‘too late’ and ‘wouldn’t make sense’, instead looking at finetuning the areas of the game that have brought them success in the past.
“They’ll be working hard on their game this week. It’s too late for them to change how they want to play, that just wouldn’t make sense but they’ll certainly be looking at the areas that are letting them down.
“I think the coaching staff will be smart enough to not overreact to the last couple of weeks. They’ll be looking at parts of their game that they have just got to get better at.
He believes they will be ‘significantly’ more accurate this weekend when the face the All Blacks for the 100th time, and that his forward pack is in for the toughest game since he’s been involved in the national set-up and urged his side to keep the tempo high so they don’t fall into the Springboks ‘trap’.
“I think it will be significantly better. Their kicking game is obviously a real weapon for them, their forward play, their defensive line speed, so they will be tinkering with parts of their game that are their strengths,” he said.
“We know there is a lot of heat coming and we’ve got to be able to deal with that.
“We saw how good they were at the World Cup in those parts of the game, that’s what they’ll go back to.
“For the forwards, this is going to be the toughest forward battle since I’ve been involved. All the boys know that. Everything we do, has to have more power, has to have more speed. We’ve got to play the game at a high tempo because that’s our game, we can’t fall into the trap of allowing the game to slow down.”
Plumtree isn’t putting much weight on the Springboks’ last two outings against the Wallabies, expecting the South Africans to rise to the occasion as these contests always seem to come down to the final quarter.
“I think when it comes to these two teams, the form book gets thrown out the window,” he said.
“There is so much respect for each other’s games, what’s happened in the last couple of weeks really doesn’t matter. We’ve been going alright, they’ve been disappointing by their standards.
“We know that at the end of the day, these games are normally really tough struggles. I’ve seen a lot of these contests in the past and they are often pretty close in the final quarter. So we are expecting a titanic battle up front and there are some obvious parts of their game we have to worry about as well.
When asked about what he learned about the game of rugby while living in South Africa, Plumtree exalted that ‘physicality is everything’ for them.
He was positive about his experiences there and how he enjoyed playing under former Sharks coach Ian McIntosh who had adopted some parts of the New Zealand game.
“That physicality is everything, it comes naturally to them,” he explained.
“When I started coaching the Sharks, I tried to bring in more of a skill-based game. When I played there under Ian McIntosh, he loved New Zealand rugby and South African rugby as well obviously, and he combined the two.
“He wanted them playing a direct style of rugby that was based on forwards doing good work up front in the middle of the field so backs could score tries, wings could score tries.
“He was a brilliant coach when I was playing there. When I left, the Sharks had changed their style of rugby and when I came back I brought that style of rugby back in.
“It suited the Frans Steyns, the JP Petersons and the forwards were great, we had some outstanding players like Bismarck Du Plessis, AJ Venter, John Smit.
“My time at the Sharks was great, we didn’t play that simple plan that we are seeing at the moment. We wanted to play an extravagant style of rugby and I think that’s why we had some success against overseas teams.
“There game has changed again.
“It’s probably more of a bully mentality, around contestable kicks, really aggressive defence and forward play, scrummaging and mauling which suits their DNA.
“We’ve seen them play some pretty good footy in the World Cup and against the Lions. They can play. They’ve got some outstanding backs so you can’t trust them. You don’t know what is going to happen on the day, they can play.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
3 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to commentsJacobsen will definitely be in the 23
3 Go to commentsLots of discussion points, Ben, but two glaring follies IMO: 1. Blackadder at 6. Has done nothing so far this season to justify his selection. Did you see him going backwards in contact at the weekend? Simply has not got the physical presence at 6: we need a Scott Barrett or a Finau (or wildcard Ah Kuoi), beasts who are big enough to play lock, like Frizzell. If Barret played at 6, Paddy could be joined at lock by Vai’i or one of the young giants we need to promote, like Darry or Lord (if he ever gets on the field). Blackadder best left to join the queue for 7. 2. Not even a mention for Christie? Ratima gets caught at crucial times at the back of the ruck when he hesitates on the pass. The only way he starts would be if Christie and TJ are injured.
3 Go to commentsWhat a dagg in more ways than one
6 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
6 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to comments