The Springbok series-opening victory over Ireland in Pretoria is a good one, but the analysis of the result will not make for impressive reviewing, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Rassie Erasmus’ troops squeaked home 27-20 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday after the world champions turned to the power of their Bomb Squad to secure a first win against the Irish since 2016.
The Boks led from the third minute when Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the first of their three tries, but edged their way to victory in a tense second half during which Ireland threatened to snatch victory as the clock counted down.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane critiques the South Africans’ performance in their seven-point win on the Highveld, arguing that while the outcome was positive, the execution was flawed.
He asserts that the Boks’ strength lies in their physicality and confrontational style, which has made them back-to-back world champions. However, on Saturday, Keohane argues that the Boks seemed to abandon their traditional approach under the influence of new attack coach Tony Brown, opting for a more expansive and offloading style akin to the All Blacks and Japan.
Keohane notes that this strategy did not suit the Boks, leading to ineffective and uncharacteristic play. He highlights the struggles of key players like Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard, who appeared lost without their usual kicking game.
Despite the victory, Keohane believes the Boks’ game management was poor and calls for a return to their traditional, more direct style in the second Test in Durban next Saturday.
“Great Springboks result. Terrible Bok performance,” he writes. “The Springboks won in Pretoria by seven points in a Test they should have won by 20 points.
“The Springboks are South African. Their DNA is confrontation, being physical and dominating the collisions.
“It looked awful as the Boks, one by one, be it the smallest guy or RG Snyman, offloading in the tackle at every opportunity, regardless of the situation.
“No, this looked like a premeditated plan to play for space and width, but it is not the South African way.
“The result is a good one, but the analysis of the result will not make for such good reading or viewing.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
The post Loftus win for SA not the Bok way appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
