Swys de Bruin praised the new attacking style of the Springboks, noting Faf de Klerk’s rediscovery of his flair with ball in hand unshackled from a box-kicking structure.
The world champion Boks opted for a more expansive and offloading strategy in last week’s win against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld, with several South African pundits raising an eyebrow at the necessity to steer away from their physicality.
In an interview with Sport24, former Bok assistant De Bruin described it as a return to a more dynamic approach seen six years ago under Rassie Erasmus while highlighting the influence of Kiwi tactician Tony Brown.
“When he started, Rassie wanted something new, that’s why he brought me in,” he told Sport24. “But then after two years, with Jacques [Nienaber] as the defence coach, they went conservative again, and the stats proved then that attacking rugby didn’t win Tests or World Cups.
“So, I just like what they’re doing; they’ve got a new broom in Tony Brown, and that’s good for South Africa.”
De Bruin highlighted the Boks’ comprehensive skill set, and lauded scrumhalf De Klerk, who the ex-Lions coach believes is now more of a threat in open play.
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“In the [attacking] shape, you want mismatches, so Faf running again is what I love; he’s got to keep the A and B defenders honest the whole time, and so did [Grant] Williams,” De Bruin explained.
“I like it when the nine does that because it keeps the inside defenders from just shifting because they have to watch the nine.
“That’s one thing they’re doing now, and if you speak to Faf, he loves it because he didn’t really enjoy that traditional box-kick game of ours.
“The other thing they’re doing well is they know when to play around a team with slow feet, quick hands, where you’re not killing space and the ball does all the work.
“It’s very hard to defend against a team with the confidence to do that against you.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
The post Swys: Faf not a fan of Bok kicking game appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
