Durban — There was crushing disappointment for Springbok supporters on Saturday morning when their team crashed to defeat in Adelaide after barely firing a shot until the last 10 minutes of the game. This week the Boks play the Wallabies in Sydney and Mike Greenaway looks at five things they must fix.
Stop Faffing around
Nic White is a clown and deserves to be vilified for selling rugby’s soul with his soccer dive but is Faf de Klerk not a greater villain? Why slap the opposition? You are going to get caught ... It was a juvenile act that cost his team dearly. The Boks were a few metres from the Aussie line ... De Klerk injudiciously slaps White and it is penalty Australia, the pressure on their line is relieved, and it is 10 minutes with a player down for the Boks. Stupid.
Strong leadership required
I rate Siya Kolisi as a captain and he was excellent in the series against the British & Irish Lions last year but he did not take charge in this game and with Duane Vermeulen concentrating on getting his own game up to scratch, Kolisi is not getting the support he usually does from the No 8. Vice-captain Lukhanyo Am should also have been rallying the troops in that first half when the Boks were rudderless. Tactics that were not working needed to be changed but they weren’t.
Stoke the fire
It is almost impossible to believe that the listless bunch that meandered about the Adelaide Oval was the same magnificent team that blasted the All Blacks off the park at the Mbombela Stadium. I am not saying that the Boks did not try but collectively the passion was not at the level it should be. I did not see them fighting for every blade of grass as they did in Nelspruit and even Ellis Park.
Killer instinct
It just wasn’t there. “We did not take our opportunities” is a tiresome cliché from losing coaches and it was the first thing out of Jacques Nienaber’s mouth after the loss. The players have to take responsibility for not upping their game in the danger zone. When that tryline is beckoning, you collectively raise your intensity and accuracy and make sure you get over the line. It looked to me like they just went through the motions.
Attack to win and bring back Willie
Only when the game was effectively over did the Boks actually attempt to use their dangerous backline. I understand the Boks play to a game plan that won them a World Cup and a series against the Lions but it is no longer enough — teams have worked out how to defend against the Boks. They have to be more ambitious this week and hand in hand with this must be the recall of Willie le Roux. He is the Boks’ best playmaker, one of the few Boks who actually asks questions of the defence and must at least be on the bench for the second half.
IOL Sport