Robbie Fleck says South African teams will need to win the ‘breakdown numbers game’ in order to challenge their more fancied New Zealand counterparts. JON CARDINELLI reports.
The Stormers will host the Bulls at Newlands this Saturday. It’s a derby steeped in tradition as well as a crucial fixture in the context of the Africa 1 conference. It’s a match that usually serves as an advert for brutal South African physicality.
Yet both groups realise that more will be required of them in 2017. The Stormers and the Bulls will compete against the five New Zealand franchises this season and none of the Australian teams, as per the Super Rugby draw. The respective coaches have admitted that their teams won’t survive those clashes unless a significant step up is made, especially at the breakdown.
VIDEO: Nollis Marais on the Bulls' pre-season tour
On Monday, Bulls coach Nollis Marais said that the New Zealanders’ intensity in this area sets them apart. It was some statement considering his side recently beat the Chiefs in a pre-season match played in Brisbane.
The Stormers’ last Super Rugby match was against the Chiefs. In the 2016 quarter-final clash at Newlands, the Cape franchise conceded six tries and went on to lose 60-21.
Afterwards, a visibly embarrassed Fleck said that the Stormers weren’t prepared for the pace and the intensity of the Kiwis, as they had been competing against non-New Zealand sides during the conference stage.
Nearly seven months have passed since that defeat. Fleck feels that the Stormers have made some necessary improvements and adjustments in the interim. On Monday, the Stormers coach said that he agreed with Marais in the sense that South African teams cannot hope to succeed if they fail to control the breakdown.
‘John Dobson was brought in as a specialist to help us at the breakdown these past few months,’ said Fleck. ‘The guys improved a hell of a lot in that area during the Currie Cup, and it was a point of focus in the pre-season.
‘You have to be up to the task at the breakdown if you’re going to perform against the Kiwi teams. You need to work hard on defence to stop them from getting the ball back in that two-and-a-half-second period. On attack, you have to make good decisions in this area. You can’t allow their defenders to slow you down at the ruck.
‘The game has always been about numbers, about manipulating situations so that your team has more numbers on its feet,’ Fleck continued. ‘You want a situation where more attacking players are on their feet. You don’t want the defence to slow the ball down and force you to commit more numbers to the breakdown.'
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The Bulls have already played the Chiefs in a pre-season match. As Marais said, that contest was never about the result. The pace and intensity of the clash, especially at the breakdown, would have given them an idea of what to expect in the competition proper.
‘The Bulls will have learned a lot from their outing against the Chiefs in Brisbane,’ confirmed Fleck. ‘We certainly learned a lot from playing the Chiefs in last year’s quarter-final. We definitely lost the numbers game on that occasion.
‘I feel that we’ve grown as a team since then. The way we’ve trained has been different, and I feel that we’ve played a better brand of rugby in the pre-season. We’re in a position to make better decisions at the breakdown.’
Photo: Gallo Images
