Cape Town - Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber expressed his satisfaction with how Jaden Hendrikse produced a “wellbalanced game” against Wales last week, but the Sharks scrumhalf can do so much more.
Hendrikse was rewarded with a second consecutive start for Saturday’s series decider at the Cape Town Stadium (5.05pm kick-off) despite a mixed performance in the 13-12 loss in Bloemfontein.
The 22-year-old halfback’s boxkicks were arguably better than the man he is effectively replacing in the ‘A team’ this weekend, Faf de Klerk, as he gets more height and boots it just far enough generally.
But where Nienaber can be questioned is his statement that Hendrikse “got nice rhythm on our attack”, and that is no fault of the player himself.
The Boks prefer to slow things down and have contestable box-kicks from their halfbacks instead of a quick, flowing attacking game where the ball is cleared quickly from the base and the outside backs are utilised liberally.
They usually only do that off a counter-attack, instead of going through the phases and out-working the opposition’s defence.
But with the more established backline chosen by Nienaber on Tuesday, one would hope that the Boks will show more ambition with ball-in-hand.
It doesn’t mean, as has been explained many times previously, that they must throw the ball around with gay abandon.
The so-called ‘B team’ picked for the Bloemfontein Test were actually well equipped to strike and put the Welsh under pressure by holding onto possession, but they weren’t allowed to do that as the coaches stuck to the safety-first tactics, and it blew up in their faces as the visitors pulled off their first ever victory over the Boks in South Africa.
While the Sharks also kicked a lot of good ball away during the United Rugby Championship and adopted a similar percentage style of play to the Boks, Hendrikse is at his most effective when he is taking on the defence himself.
That can be done through darting around the fringes, clearing the ball quickly to his flyhalf or putting in clever grubber kicks.
Hendrikse must be given more of a licence to thrill at Cape Town Stadium, and with lethal weapons such as Damian Willemse, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi in the backline, the Boks are well-equipped to bring the heat to the Welsh defence.
Nienaber will hope that Handre Pollard will be sharper than he was at the Free State Stadium, and the Bok No 10 needs to vary his play better. That will include trusting Hendrikse to take on greater responsibility at scrumhalf, and also trying to create space for the likes of Mapimpi and Kolbe out wide.
Perhaps the crucial cog in that regard will be Am, who has the golden touch to provide width on attack, while Willemse must also be allowed to play a more significant role with ball-in-hand from fullback.
There is no need for the South Africans to have to wait for Willie le Roux to come on and Willemse to shift to flyhalf, as it happened in the first Test at Loftus Versfeld, for the Bok backline to find their attacking shape and function properly.
Nienaber has stated that he wants the Boks to grow their attack in 2022, and now he needs to encourage his players to make use of their skill-sets.
If they can do that, coupled with improved physicality and front-foot ball from the forwards, Siya Kolisi’s team will be able to secure a series victory.