Boks throw Tri-Nations open
2008-07-19 22:22
Rob Houwing
Cape Town - Really genuine champions of the world? The jury on the Springboks, I'm afraid, remains out.
When South Africa won the 1995 World Cup, their rugby went indisputably backwards as the afterglow faded.
It is to the credit of the class of 2008 that their William Webb Ellis success of last year has not translated into regression this time...not yet, anyway. But they have gone more sideways than forward, leaving the planet nonplussed about the legitimacy of their No 1 claims.
Yes, Dunedin was a heady, bogey-breaking moment and a compelling stake in bragging-rights terms, but Victor Matfield's team really needed a follow-up against the marginally lesser foes across the Antipodean ditch to confirm their pedigree...and couldn't get it.
Nor did they deserve to, even if management raised the hoary old goat of dubious refereeing to try to explain the second-fiddle (and two-tries-to-nil) outcome.
Saturday's unexpected reverse to Australia in Perth, in which they bagged a bonus point - by the skin of their teeth, but it could be important - was not an out-and-out train smash but it did amount to a slightly worrying derailment.
Could have returned with a swagger
The net result was a sigh of relief for both of the other Tri-Nations protagonists: had the Boks returned from their overseas leg with two wins from three, not only could they have emerged from customs at OR Tambo International with a swagger, but also with their title shot looking significantly rosy.
Instead, the South Africans may now have to win all three home encounters, including one or two of them with bonus points, to claim the coveted southern hemisphere prize and confirm global supremacy.
What's more, the sight of two of the biggest guns in their ammunition shed, Schalk Burger and Bryan Habana, leaving the park early for injury reasons was like stripping Madiba from the guest list for his own birthday party: a disappointment, not to mention a very deep worry.
What is it about the Wallabies that makes it so difficult for the Boks to consistently dominate them? To win with real daylight between the sides. Not to lose, for example, by the occasional, horrible 49-0.
It is the fact, quite simply, that they box so smart - and may do to an even greater extent now that Robbie Deans calls the coaching shots. And they have a nasty little habit of doing so against what they perceive increasingly to be a bloated, slightly cerebrally-challenged heavyweight called South Africa.
Poaching the ball
In Perth they gave the Springboks a sobering master-class, with George Smith and Rocky Elsom looking particularly elegant in their "academic gowns", in poaching the ball on the floor.
Even before his enforced exit, Burger was certainly not having things his own way in that department and when, for a variety of reasons, the Bok pack was made to look even more "upright" with tall timber like Bekker, Botha and Matfield briefly sharing the same stage, the Aussies simply vacuumed on the deck with even more relish.
The other thing that continues to mystify is that, for so physical a team with no lack of leg and upper-body strength, South Africa play way, way too much "soak-up" rugby.
It is one thing to get a thrill out of monster hits when the opposition are seeing lots of the ball, as the Wallabies did, but whatever happened to the tried-and-trusted principle of dominating primary possession?
The Boks could not manage it against, frankly, an ordinary Wallaby tight five. There was a time when Os du Randt used to eat tighthead Al Baxter for breakfast, with golden syrup. On Saturday, Gurthro Steenkamp's naively high, lethargic crouch rather than low engagement was exposed, as Baxter suddenly thought Christmas had arrived in mid-year.
Beast Mtawarira positively oozed urgency when he came on in the second half; is it time he earned a start or two against blue-chip foes?
South Africa whinged that Wallaby obstruction was responsible for their lineout problems. Why not just acknowledge that Schalk Brits, otherwise lively, threw in poorly, which would have been apparent even to a go-kart fan watching rugby for the first time.
To a certain extent, I'd recommend a little mid-tourney trip to the drawing board by the Boks.
For it is blinkered and jingoistic to heap all the blame on Bryce Lawrence for the Subiaco hiccup...