Former Wales and Stormers centre Jamie Roberts says SA teams have adapted to northern-hemisphere conditions and are in their element in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
After a strong finish to the 2021-22 season that culminated in two SA sides contesting the inaugural URC final, the Republic’s four representatives have made a roaring start to the 2022-23 campaign, winning 10 out of 12 matches against European teams. All four are in the top half of the standings.
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“I think this league is perfect for South African rugby,” said Roberts during a URC round-table discussion with former Springbok wing Breyton Paulse on Thursday. “The way the games are played, obviously with the [wet] weather [in Europe] coming in now, how attritional the games are …
“That SA psyche of set-piece dominance and line speed in defence … this style of rugby [in the URC] suits SA teams better than the old Super Rugby and they’re really finding their feet now.”
Roberts cited the red-hot Emirates Lions as evidence of the SA teams’ improvement: “They’ve worked out what style of rugby wins games. I think back to the Lions-Cardiff game, which I worked on a few weeks ago – that was a complete lesson in how to manage a game under those conditions. It wasn’t pretty, the wind was howling and it was pissing down with rain, but the Lions just grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck [and won 31-18].
“As a Welshman, I’m watching the game and thinking, ‘We should be doing that better than the SA sides because we play in the rain for most of the season.'”
Paulse said the SA franchises were relying on their traditional strengths while developing other aspects of their game.
“Our teams have always been regarded as robust, bullish and very one-dimensional. While a team like the Stormers has certainly played to its strengths, [coach] John Dobson took a couple of guys and transformed them into world-beaters – like Manie Libbok and Damian Willemse, who’s a global superstar at the moment. Leolin Zas’ career was almost over …
“The Stormers found the right balance, not just to be bullish but to get the best out of their flair players. And it’s working for them.
“Jake White also has the players to play that game – the Bulls can play tight and they can play loose with a bit of flair. And it’s been wonderful to see SA teams transform like that.”
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