Analysis: Dave Rennie's men exposed Rassie Erasmus' Springboks in Johannesburg. Now the master manipulator has some big decisions to make, writes Patrick McKendry.
According to their coach Rassie Erasmus, a man described only last week in South Africa and further afield as the game’s pre-eminent mastermind, the Springboks don’t need to learn from their defeat to the All Blacks.
“We don't have to learn from this,” he said after his side’s 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park yesterday morning. “We knew what we had to do on the day and we didn't do it.”
And this: “It’s nice now to go into the next game as underdogs. It feels different.”
I bet it does. The All Blacks’ five-tries-to-one victory against the back-to-back world champions has elevated them to No.1 on World Rugby’s rankings and halted the Boks’ 12-Test winning streak dating back to September last year when they beat the All Blacks in Wellington.
But for all of Erasmus’ apparent coolness in his post-match press conference, he will have to face up to the sense that he was out-thought by rival Dave Rennie and the sense too that he has some hugely important decisions to make before the next Test in Cape Town.
Rennie and the All Blacks knew what was coming at Ellis Park. They said as soon as they landed in South Africa that the Boks would back their awesome physicality and power – part of what they described as the "DNA" of the rugby nation.
And while Erasmus picked a first-five in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who has more guile and subtlety than the more straightforward Handre Pollard, the Boks’ reliance on their power game could be seen on their bench, which featured a 6-2 forwards-backs split.
Wing Kurt-Lee Arendse’s head injury after only nine minutes exposed the risks inherent in Erasmus’ plan.
Already struggling for cohesion - Feinberg-Mngomezulu and lock Eben Eztebeth were the only starters from the Boks’ last Test (a narrow win over Argentina in Buenos Aires on August 9) – the home side’s backline fell apart under the All Blacks’ scoreboard pressure.
Centre Jessie Kriel and halfback Grant Williams were both exposed in the wide channels by the All Blacks, with the latter’s defensive issues ruthlessly targeted by Rennie’s men.
While the Boks led 13-12 at halftime, over the first 40 minutes Williams had attempted eight tackles; making four and missing four.
Andre Esterhuizen, the “hybrid” bench forward who powered through Josh Moorby for the Boks’ only try, was not considered quick enough to cover for Arendse and so the home side were caught short.
The big Boks forwards were devastating at the breakdown in the opening five minutes, but the visitors began winning more races there than they lost as the game wore on.
That, combined with the Boks’ poor handling as the pressure mounted in the second half, contributed to them making 23 turnovers.
All Blacks second-five Jordie Barrett stole five on his own in an heroic performance which included a try-saving tackle on hooker Malcolm Marx in the first half.
The All Blacks averaged 138 attacking rucks in possession during their three Nations Championship Test victories last month and only 56 yesterday but still scored five tries, numbers that underline the visitors’ clinical approach and the Boks’ wastefulness.
Like a bully surprised and disorientated by a punch on the nose, the Boks were in disarray in the final 10 minutes in losing Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach to yellow cards for cynical tactics on their own tryline.
Erasmus showed only last week that he is prepared to double down off the field. A day after he wheeled out former Test referee Jaco Peyper, now an advisor, to explain why the Boks don’t push the laws in attempting to slow the game down, he allowed assistant coach Felix Jones to infer that Rennie coaches his players to indulge in illegal and unsafe practices at the breakdown.
To do the same strategically for the next Test on Sunday morning NZT would entail backing the Boks’ power game again and to do otherwise would suggest uncertainty in his methods and potentially further disrupt the home side’s already tenuous cohesion.
It’s a big week ahead for the master manipulator.
Meanwhile, Erasmus may be something of a folk hero in his homeland but All Blacks prop George Bower may be gaining similar status in New Zealand.
The 34-year-old Bower is probably best known for his handling skills, mobility and relentlessly upbeat personality than his scrummaging power but he helped turn the game on his entrance late in the first half yesterday.
Speaking to Sky Sport afterwards, Bower was asked about his mindset before the crucial scrum 5m from the All Blacks posts as the game approached the end of the third quarter.
The All Blacks, under huge pressure after conceding six scrum penalties to that point, turned the pressure back on the Boks to win a penalty.
Bower said: “I just told my back five, ‘Give me the herbs, man. Win the hit and give me all your power and we’ll do our best to go forward’. That’s what I felt. After that, it just gave us a bit of confidence. It kind of lit the flame and the flame started to grow a bit bigger.
“But my back five, bro, I’ve got to give it up to them. I’m just the middle man pushing forward. They’re giving me all the herbs.”
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