One week after Ian Foster’s credibility as All Blacks head coach was in tatters at Mbombela Stadium, he checkmated the Springboks at Ellis Park, writes ZELIM NEL.
Switch off the air-raid sirens, there’s no need to panic – the Boks are on the right track and will be serious contenders at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. However, the world champions do need to pay serious attention to the fact that they were outwitted in Joburg where poor selections contributed to their demise.
While Rassie Erasmus will be remembered as one of the brightest minds in Bok history and, together with defence guru Jacques Nienaber, he’s part of a world-class duo, they were beaten by those in All Blacks tracksuits this week.
Having belatedly sniffed the opportunity to circumvent South Africa’s defence in Nelspruit, Foster reverted to Richie Mo’unga on Saturday. The tactical flyhalf teamed up with his back three to use the Boks’ speed against them, supported by Sam Whitelock and an effective lineout raiding party.
And the improved tactics from the All Blacks were magnified by the Bok team list.
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There’s a fine line between being clever and overthinking it and the reverse at Ellis Park came off like an episode of ‘Why Did We Do That?’ The pilot premiered in July when Erasmus almost completely overhauled the starting lineup and Wales clinched a historic first win over the Boks in South Africa.
In the buildup to the Ellis Park clash, Erasmus contributed to an avoidable defeat with a string of bad calls.
Joseph Dweba and Duane Vermeulen weren’t ready to start, Jesse Kriel doesn’t look like a good fit for the Bok defence in the wing position and, when he went off, the backline reshuffle was a muddle.
Dweba, taking over from the Nelspruit MVP, stepped into big shoes in what was just his second match since mid-June when the Top 14 ended after he had made a total of three starts for Bordeaux.
A powerful scrummager, Dweba is less renowned for lineout accuracy. The All Blacks had clearly done their homework on what is a pillar of the Bok plan and when Dweba’s throws skewed, the momentum shifted and the tourists built an early lead in the match.
It wasn’t all down to Dweba’s inaccuracy – Whitelock also harassed Malcolm Marx – but the fact that he was yanked after 30 minutes confirms he wasn’t ready to play in this match.
Vermeulen made a surprise return after a few months on the sidelines due to a knee procedure. Jasper Wiese was just building up a head of steam – beating Wales in Cape Town and then the All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium – before he was benched for a 36-year-old coming back from surgery.
The stellar career of a truly superb Bok enforcer is winding down and the decision to start Vermeulen with the Boks on the cusp of a rare series victory over the beleaguered All Blacks also proved to be a poor one.
Vermeulen again did not live up to his reputation as a thumper and his deployment not only interrupted Wiese’s development, but delayed the potential emergence of Evan Roos as a Test ace.
Roos is particularly poignant in the aftermath of a loss where the Bok defence was challenged to mop up the mess caused by the All Blacks finding ways over the blitz.
No team will outmuscle South Africa’s brutes with north-south runners, but Roos offers rare athleticism to a pack that could have used more of that when the Kiwis moved the ball east-west.
The other call was to start Jesse Kriel in place of the injured Kurt-Lee Arendse. Like Cheslin Kolbe, Arendse is 20 kilograms lighter than Kriel and perfectly suited to the Boks’ high-line, high-pressure defence which relies on rapid flyers to shoot up and then quickly reload in the line.
Kriel missed a tackle before suffering a match-ending concussion. As had been the case when Kolbe was injured against Wales in Cape Town, Willie le Roux came on at fullback, Damian Willemse shifted to 12 and both centres bumped out one place.
Four changes for one substitution is silly at the best of times, more so when Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am comprise the best and most cohesive midfield tandem in the world.
A lack of congruency in defence undermined the Bok comeback and allowed the All Blacks to strike twice in the final seven minutes for the win.
Though Handre Pollard kicked his kicks, it was Willemse who made the big plays – the second time fate has conspired to showcase Willemse as the potential answer at flyhalf.
Is Vermeulen’s experience and leadership worth more than Roos’ explosiveness? Would Dweba have been better prepared for this match if he’d come off the bench in a more settled lineup against Wales in Bloemfontein?
Nienaber tried to explain away the loss at Free State Stadium by saying the performance had given him “answers”, but three Tests later there are again questions about selections after an avoidable defeat.
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Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
