Boks need new personnel and/or game plan

The look of bewilderment and utter despair on John Smit’s face after the Springbok’s heart-breaking defeat against New Zealand said more than a thousand words. But perhaps it does not reveal everything. Sheer will-power, guts and determination and the passionate home-support of 90 000 South Africans could not secure a win against a ruthless All Black-team at Soccer City last week. The All Blacks won the pulsating Vodacom Tri Nations match by 29-22 after the Boks led for close to 75 minutes of this 80- minute encounter. Such is the perennial need for professional fine-tuning, reassessment and tactical awareness that yesterday’s tactical masterpieces could become outdated within one season.

And the lack of tactical awareness was again evident in the Springbok camp. In fact, the lack of leadership by the management team might have cost the Springboks the test and the opportunity to celebrate a victory which would have turned Smit’s 100th cap into an unforgettable rugby festival. It turned out to be unforgettable for other reasons.

Perhaps Smit and other senior Boks should not have stayed on the hallowed park of Soccer City for the full 80 minutes. But Peter de Villiers’s choice and timing of substitutions left a lot to be desired.

He substituted Juan Smith in the 58th minute while he was having the game of his life and, in fact, he was the choice of SA Rugby’s own website as South Africa’s man of the match.

JP Petersen was struggling with cramps 25 minutes into the second half yet De Villiers elected to ask Francois Hougaard to leave the field when he could have substituted the struggling Petersen in the 76th minute. Hougaard started at scrumhalf  but represented the Bulls at wing for much of the past two seasons.

Petersen failed to cover effectively in the final minute when the All Blacks scored the decisive try, although Smit acknowledged that it was his missed tackle that clinched it for the Kiwis.

South Africa also made a blunder not to select Bismarck du Plessis on the bench. It could have switched Smit to loosehead prop with 25 minutes to go and could have substituted GuthroSteenkamp at loosehead.

Smit performed admirably at loosehead prop for the Sharks during the Super 14 campaign. In fact, Smit, Du Plessis and his brother, Jannie (tighthead prop), were seldom beaten when they scrummed in tandem for the Sharks.

De Villiers also opted to substitute Flip van der Merwe while he was having a real storming game, another woeful decision by the embattled Springbok coach.

South Africa would have to attend to two crucial weaknesses. First of all, the Boks are still attempting to win rugby tests without the oval ball.

When MornéSteyn missed touch a few minutes before the final whistle it created an ideal attacking platform for the All Blacks. The Boks, who had to defend for their lives for the full second half, had to absorb too much pressure to keep the New Zealand team at bay.

Secondly, the All Blacks ensured they had the superior numbers and the technique at the breakdowns. The absence of Bismarck du Plessis and Heinrich Brüssouw, who are both world-class poachers when on song and fit, were vital factors during the three losses to the All Blacks.

Telling stats on yellow cards

By the way, the New Zealand Herald produced some statistics last week to vindicate South Africa’s complaints about the quality of refereeing in the first three weeks of the Tri Nations tournament.

Essentially the article stated that official figures show the All Blacks incur 43 penalties per yellow card, more than seven times the figure of the Springboks (six penalties per yellow card) and six times the figure of Australia (seven penalties per yellow card).

The article stated further that this appears to reveal at best an extraordinary imbalance in the way the three countries are refereed and at worst, a complete lack of consistency by match officials in their dealings with each Southern Hemisphere nation.

It also seems to bear out the view of certain Springbok officials that there is one law for the All Blacks and another for their rivals.

Bob Dwyer, a former Australian coach, had a full go at the New Zealand tactics.

"Just as the All Blacks value the necessity of quick ball for their own attack, they clearly recognise the threat that opposition quick ball poses to their defence.

"In fact, I thought the All Black defence was unusually vulnerable to attack from quick ball, as evidenced by two quite simple Springbok tries in their second test in Wellington and a few similar efforts by the Wallabies. They strive, therefore, to limit such recycles from their opponents,” Dwyer said.

"There is nothing wrong with that so long as they do so within the laws of the game. It is here that I, and many others, question their tactics. Black- jersey-ed tacklers finish on the ground on the wrong side of the ball so often that I can't believe that it's by accident,” he said on his website.

"This prevents their opponents from arriving quickly to support their teammate and allowing other All Black support players to attack opposition ball on the ground.

“Further, opposition scrum-halves are having difficulty getting in close to clear the ball and are forced to 'lift' the ball for their pass to clear All Black bodies.

"This slows down the clearing pass and gives valuable time to the defence. And it's illegal."

The Australian also highlighted what he called New Zealand's "outrageously offside" positions when they enter the breakdown on their own ball.

“All players play their part, and while McCaw, Owen Franks and Smith have been serial offenders, Kieran Read has recently perfected his technique also. It is dramatically effective and frequently brings tries, and it’s illegal.”

Better refereeing

Apart from a crucial error by the assistant referee who missed a blatant forward pass in the movement that led to the try by McCaw, the refereeing on Saturday was good.

The truth of the matter is that the score line could have ended with a more empathic victory for the All Blacks if Dan Carter did not leave 10 points on the field with failed attempts that he normally would have converted while sleep-walking.

The Boks played magnificently in the first 65 minutes and still came up short. If they don’t change their game-plan and/or their management team, they might not change their destiny in the final two Tri Nations matches and in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

And that destiny, bar a change in game plan and personnel, is set to end in despair, with a devastated Smit stare of disbelief into Neverland revealing his pain…