Can the Springboks compensate for the absence of their playmaking axis?

In 2019, the Boks owed much of their attacking progress to three players which formed the basis of their attacking structure – Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard and Willie le Roux.

When the Boks attack in big games, we have seen them place Handre Pollard right behind the strike phase. As he is such a multi-faceted flyhalf, it provides them with options. He has one of the deadliest flat passes which allows them to get a quick ball away out wide to the edge or to the edge.

Meanwhile, he has the ability to punch the line hard with his lean mean physicality. Meanwhile, le Roux is wider out to take the ball for the flashy play. De Klerk passes off the rucks and often makes iconic box-kicks, while Pollard bridges the play and also coordinates big plays with le Roux, who has the role of organising the backs out wide.

We can see this in Makazole Mapimpi’s try against England. Firstly, we have several phases away off de Klerk, and each phase we see Pollard there in behind the phase. Finally, Pollard finds some space, charging in between two players.

Le Roux is already out wide, positioned with other teammates. From that platform Pollard’s charge creates, de Klerk passes to le Roux, who makes a long and deliberate kick which is regathered by the English and then booted right back by Elliot Daly. Le Roux is well-positioned from his earlier kick, and thus catches the ball and sets up the platform for the Boks to spring their attack.

The chasing English defenders are not well organised, and with the speed mismatch and outnumbering with Joe Marler the only one viable to guard the edge.

Quick hands through Lukhanyo Am and Malcolm Marx got the ball away to Mapimpi who put in the chip regathered by Am and a selfless pass went back to Mapimpi to seal the try.

Here are more pass-based examples.

Against Japan in the pre-World Cup match, this was very prominent. One try came off Pollard taking the ball from behind Damian de Allende, firing it flat and far to le Roux, who gives the final pass to release Mapimpi to score.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

In another of Mapimpi’s tries, we have Pollard taking it from behind a forward strike play before sending it through the hands of le Roux and other teammates before Pieter-Steph du Toit throws the final pass on the edge to Mapimpi, drawing up space for Mapimpi to tear up trees and score.

The concept of a designated killer on the edge was something adopted by many teams in World Rugby, but none has done it better than le Roux.

This structure resulted in most of the Bok tries in 2019 during big games, and also directed play around the park.

With the absence of the men that are core to this structure, the Boks will need a new attacking structure to continue their source of tries.

How can they carry this out?

Distributors
Perhaps not the kind of unique multicylinder attack that Pollard offers, but still someone able to get the ball away to the edge. Here a man who can get the pass away to the edge is all they need. Of course, the absence of their primary playmaker Pollard is never a good thing.

The substitute should not be expected to bring the same edges and effects that Pollard does, but at least bring the ability to get the ball away to the edge.

This can be done through Elton Jantjies.

Also, with reference to a video published by Squidge Rugby, might I add that Jantjies has been a crucial part of the expansive Bok gameplan that was used against lower-level sides in the World Cup. Rassie Erasmus had a gameplan to maximise his ablities when this man was on the pitch.
While he is far from the most well-rounded 10, he is certainly a strong distributor.

With some reviewed footage in the Squidge video, it has been consistent that when Janjities takes the ball, he has a strong distribution to set another in space, sometimes causing line-breaks. Firstly, he often takes the ball from the scrumhalf flat, before spotting the space and dropping off the pass.

Sometimes he switches off the pass to a forward runner, while on other occasions he finds it through to a gap, bringing out the Bok runners.

Also, we have Curwin Bosch who has the innate direction in him and has that ability to command a game, however, it is likely that Jantjies starts.

Designated killers
This role is essential. With no one to provide the playmaking value that Pollard does at 10, it will come down to the designated killer on the edge.

There is one extremely viable candidate of the available players – Lukhanyo Am.

With his brilliant ball handling, pace and agility, he became a deadly combination of attacking talents. He had the ability to make line breaks, and also the ability spot gaps and put players away. Also, when he made line breaks, he stayed connected with supporting teammates to remain ever-ready to pass the ball off if need be.

His quick hands were something that instrumented many line breaks and tries for the Sharks.

(Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Also, we have Mapimpi’s try against England to account for this. Personally, I think that Am pretty much single-handedly set up all of this.

Mapimpi’s try came off great quick hands from Am with a draw-and-pass off de Klerk’s pass from the ruck and then the same way through Malcolm Marx.

This gave Mapimpi the break, who chipped the ball over the top. Am raced after it, sleekly regathering it and putting away a selfless, unhesitant pass back to Mapimpi for the winger to score.

Such good ball-handling makes him a great last-pass playmaker on the edge, as he formed an axis with Mapimpi and Sbu Nkosi at the Durban Sharks, him continuously creating tries for the star wingers.

His edge-line play is well suited to be the man on the edge to put away the last pass like le Roux has done when he was there for the Boks.

Conclusion
The Boks would not have their game-commanding axis to set up their tries through making strategic impacts, but they still can manage tries through the use of a distributor and a designated killer, also known as a playmaker on the edge.