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Let me start off by saying I am no expert, but then again you don’t need to be an expert to see what is wrong with South African rugby.
South African rugby teams, bar the Cheetahs and to some extent the Sharks, play the same style of rugby we have been playing for the last decade, possibly longer. The past weekend was once again a clear reminder that South African rugby has not evolved at all.
Defence
There is a myth that South African rugby is based on defensive tactics. The myth suggests that South Africa has the most aggressive and effective defence in world rugby and to beat them you need to find a way to breach it.
The sobering reality is that this myth is just that; a myth. If this was Mythbusters, chances are this myth would not even be considered plausible, but would just be completely busted.
This weekend during the Sharks and Reds clash as quickly as you could say “Oh my goodness” the Sharks had conceded four tries against the Reds. They were all scored within 33 minutes.
The sad thing is this is the third time this season that the Sharks have conceded a four try bonus point in the first half of a match.
The Kings, who have been heaped with much praise over the season for their gutsy performances, have conceded 47 tries in 11 matches.
The Cheetahs and Bulls have been acceptable, with an average of roughly two tries conceded per match.
Finally the Stormers, known to be the best defensive unit in Super Rugby, may currently hold onto their title; but if Bryan Habana continues to break the defensive line as he did once again this weekend I doubt they will remain so by end of the season.
The first problem for the South African franchises in defence is that they do not keep their discipline.
The rush and drift defence is only effective if every player plays their part and keeps the defensive line intact. If any player decides to leave the line it immediately creates a hole for the outside attacking runner to come in on the angle, receive the pass and go through untouched.
The responsibility of the halfback in most cases is be a sweeper. In other words he is the one man, particularly when the rush defence is employed, to sweep for the chip kick or grubber.
This weekend the Sharks, Kings and Cheetahs were caught out an alarming number of times with a kick through that resulted in a try.
Now I would understand if it happened once, but with the Cheetahs it happened several times in succession. How do you not figure out a sweeper must be put in place?
Standing off at the ruck and not committing numbers to the breakdown has two effects. The first is that it allows the opponent to operate under no pressure, something no team should be allowed to do.
The halfback is a pivotal player in any team, none more so than for the Reds.
The Force showed just how a world-class player in Genia can be negated when he is put under pressure, and yet this weekend the Sharks put no pressure on Genia. Did the coaching staff of the Sharks not review that match?
The other result of not committing numbers to the breakdown is quick ball, something you do not want to face as a defending team.
Deon Fourie, who for some reason had raised the ire of Chris Pollock before the game even started, was the lone ranger in trying to compete for ball at the breakdown, and every time he competed he was penalised.
Once again, are the lights on and nobody home? What must it take for South African teams to employ a little bit of intelligence on a rugby field?
It was clear from the start, when Deon Fourie received his second reprimand in as many minutes in the first half, that he is not the man to play in contentious areas of the game.
Stay away from rucks, keep to the offside line and don’t look at the referee.
The South Africans must show intelligence and adaptability on defence. Neither was on display this weekend.
Ruck time is contentious at the best of times, so either you commit enough numbers to the breakdown to blow the opponent totally off the ball or commit no numbers, the one-off player has no chance, he will be off his feet in no time and if the referee has but a suspicion that you are slowing down ball you will be penalised.
The one time it is necessary to keep discipline is on the defensive line. Willie le Roux and Bryan Habana showed exactly how not to do it this weekend.
Regarding the sweeper, the number of tries scored against South African team this year from a chip kick into the space behind the defensive line is alarming to say the least.
Attack
The idea of attack is in reality a simple one: you want to create space and get a runner into a gap. It doesn’t sound like a complicated issue, does it?
Well you’re wrong. The number of tries scored from mauls by South African sides proves that finding space is apparently much more challenging than you would expect.
The Bulls, Kings, Stormers and Sharks use the maul as their primary weapon to score tries. Now that in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. But if you become predictable, or when teams find ways to halt mauls legally or illegally you need a plan B.
The Bulls will tell you that they use their big forwards to run through the middle, then when they have done that for the umpteenth time they will use a centre to bash it up through the midfield.
After that has been done a few times, there might be space on the outside and a try can be scored. The problem with this plan is that it only works if the opponent is physically inferior and starts falling off tackles.
If none of that happens, chances are at some point they might be awarded a penalty and be able build an innings from there.
South African teams have one move to create an extra man on the outside, and it is where the halfback drifts across, passes to either the fly half or inside centre, runs in behind them and collects the ball again.
“Ingenious,” you might say. Sorry to disappoint, but I am only being sarcastic.
When you look at the New Zealand teams, their only criterion for when a back should receive the ball is that he is runnning at pace.
You only need to look at the Stormers’ backline moves this past weekend to notice how many times their back line received the ball in a stationary position.
The ball goes wide and by the time the wing receives (if he ever does receive) the ball, they are way behind the advantage line and often isolated.
I could likely carry on like this and point out more areas of inadequacy from South African team, but it will take up far too much time and space.
The point is, South African rugby needs a mind shift.
They need to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate what they are doing, because in my very humble opinion, as a rugby loving nation, we are not performing anywhere near our potential.
Predictability, low risk rugby and defensive game plans are slowly starting to diminish South Africa as a force in world rugby.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.