Springboks thrash Wallabies by playing real rugby

 
Spiro Zavos Columnist

By , 31 Aug 2009 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert

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Ruan Pienaar for South Africa moves the ball past Benn Robinson (left) and James Horwill for Australia (right) during the match between Australia and South Africa at Subiaco Oval in Perth, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009.

Ruan Pienaar for South Africa moves the ball past Benn Robinson (left) and James Horwill for Australia (right) during the match between Australia and South Africa at Subiaco Oval in Perth, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009. AAP Image/Tony McDonough

The Springboks pulled out their number 1 game, as the rugby’s number one team should, to defeat a fumbling, gutsy and out-classed Wallabies team at Perth 32 -15.  Forget the scoreline, this was a thrashing. It was only close in the way someone is close to a cliff as he hurtles to his doom after jumping off.

Before the Test John Eales rated this Springboks side as the best South Africa has produced in the professional  era. I have suggested in the past that the side may well be one of the greatest South Africa has put on the field.

I place it in the same category as the 1937 Springboks (‘the greatest side to leave New Zealand’), a team that was the first to win a Test series in New Zealand, and Danie Craven’s 1951 Grand Slam Springboks who defeated Scotland, then a tough nut to crack, by a record score against a major team.

This 2007 – 2009 Springboks team has won the Rugby World Cup, has defeated the British and Irish Lions 2-1, and has won the Tri-Nations (a hard tournament to win because you have to defeat two of the three strongest sides in the world) once and probably twice in three years.

The All Blacks have a mathematical chances of retaining the Tri-Nations trophy but the Springboks have to be defeated by the Wallabies and the All Blacks and gain no bonus points and the All Blacks have to win their next two matches with bonus points for this unlikely (impossible?) outcome to eventuate.

I’ve been critical of the Springboks this season in South Africa for playing thuggish, 10-man kicking rugby football to get their results.

At Perth they gave a master class, especially in the first half when it mattered, of real rugby. That is rugby where running, handling, kicking, cleverness and aggression at the contact areas were of the highest order.

This real rugby, which provided a terrific spectacle, led to three tries for the Springboks in the first 32 minutes. Two of the tries, one in the first half and another in the second half, came from superb choreographed backline moves from scrums. The second try was from an old Springboks play where Fourie du Preez runs wide from the scrum, the centres make a diagonal run across him back to the scrum and du Preez flicks a pass to the flying Breyan Habana.

Beautiful! The opposition knew that Habana was lurking with intent near the scrum. But stopping him, after du Preez’s perfectly weighted pass, is another matter.

Habana is the master poacher, mainly because he is always looking for chances to poach from opposition errors. Du Preez is the conductor of the team, a player who is one of the all-time great halfbacks and with Daniel Carter, the best back in the world right now.

What can one say about the Wallabies?

They started off terribly. Richard Brown dropped du Preez’s first clearing kick. And this mistake set the tone for a mistake-ridden first half.

It looked like boys against men as the Springboks made the advantage line with ease while the Wallabies went through their phases and were often driven back from where they started.

Three successive lost lineouts meant the end of any fight-back the Wallabies launched in the second half.

And while the Wallaby scrum dominated the Springboks scrum, penalties were conceded at crucial moments. I heard George Smith (I think) tell the referee, Bryce Lawrence, after one of these penalties: ‘How can he bind when they’re not bringing their arm up to bind on?’

Whatever, the Springboks, John Smit particularly, were smart enough to get their penalties where Morne Steyn could kick the goal, and concede penalties out of kicking range.

There was one positive from the debacle in that the experiment of playing Matt Giteau as a play-making first five-eights should now be over.

Giteau looked the part once he got moved out to inside centre. Quade Cooper showed what could happen if a real playmaker is given the role for the Wallabies, although I expect Berrick Barnes to take up this position at Brisbane with Giteau moving out one position.

Luke Burgess must have played his last starting game for the Wallabies.

Before the Test the eminent halfback Des Connor, one of the few (only?) Wallabies to have also played for the All Blacks, noted that Burgess had his feet together when he passed. This meant he was off balance as he passed and without a steady base was always liable to be erratic in length, direction and height.

During the Test I watched for this, and Connor was right. Now my question is this. We’ve got highly paid specialist back coaches in Super Rugby where Burgess has played for the ACT Brumbies and the NSW Waratahs, why hasn’t this fault been exposed, worked on and eliminated?

Robbie Deans is committed to the present squad until the end of the Tri-Nations. I expect a slaughter of the innocents for the European tour, though, with tougher, more resilient players given their chance. Josh Holmes, for example, gave an outstanding display of inside centre play for Warringah against Eastern Suburbs. But this is a discussion for another day.

There are two slightly cautionary points for the Springboks to consider as they continue their march through Australia and New Zealand.

First, the victory at Perth is only the third win in Australia by the Springboks since 1996, all of them at Perth which is almost a home ground for the side with all the ex-pats living there.

Second, the Springboks lost the penalty count 15 – 4, mainly because of illegalities at the ruck and maul which referees have tended to overlook in the past.

So next Saturday’s Test at Brisbane will provide a challenge for the Springboks to close out the Tri-Nations by winning outside of Perth. Can they do? It would be surprising if they don’t.

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