Springboks two-time World Cup winner, Trevor Nyakane has shared a 5-point plan that he feels Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks can employ to defeat the All Blacks in the upcoming four test series in the ‘Greatest Rivalry’ Tour.
The prop shared his opinions on the For the Love Rugby South Africa podcast.
Take control of the tempo
Tempo is a topic that has been already hitting the headlines as Dave Rennie made reference to the Bulls lineout speed and how it was something that he brought to the officials attention to keep moving. Rassie Erasmus responded as only Rassie could, bringing Jaco Peyper to a news conference and getting the South African referee to clarify the laws. The All Blacks will be looking to keep the tempo of the ball moving quickly and getting the ball into the channels quickly, while the Springboks will look to keep the ball in the forwards and use their physicality to wear down the All Blacks and wait for their opportunity to go wide when the space is created through their slower and more physical build-up.
Master the highline defence
A similar way that the Springboks will also look to control the game and tempo will be through a highline defence. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they will blitz at full speed for 80 minutes, because one off runners can allow the All Blacks to use their handling abilities to get wide and make gaps in the defence. A highline defence will see the entire line coming up fast and connected. If this line meets the ball carriers at or behind the gainline, strong tackle completion statistics could see All Blacks keep moving backwards with the ball in hand and be forcing them into a kicking game which will give possession back to the Springboks.
Slow the ball down at the breakdown
The first so points both link into this. The Sprjngboks will look to control the tempo and get a high line in defence by slowing the ball down. All of this will be in an attempt to control possession and territory. The All Blacks will not want to attack from slow ball and will try to kick away in order to get a broken defensive line to play against. This is where the Springboks will then try to get the ball back and attack from.
Take your chances
This one may seem silly, but in a game against the All Blacks, chances are few and far between as France and Ireland learned in the Nations Championship. The All Blacks are very accurate and therefore you need to take your chances against them to stay close. Consistency of converting 22 entries to points will be crucial. When you think of the 2023 World Cup final, the Springboks didn’t score a try, but took their four penalty opportunities.
