Damian Willemse is the kind of player that can be part of the Springboks attacking arsenal. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
Cape Town – In the aftermath of the 27-13 victory over England at Twickenham last November, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber made a couple of interesting comments about the way his team had played on the end-of-year tour.
That was despite a 50 percent win record on the trip, as they lost 19-16 to Ireland in Dublin and 30-26 to France in Marseille, and beat Italy 63-21 in Genoa before holding off the English despite Thomas du Toit’s red card in the second half.
“We’ve had a couple of special results as a team, but this was the first win for Siya (Kolisi) and I at Twickenham, so it’s very special to us,” Nienaber said.
“The forwards were outstanding and created a good platform for our backs to attack, so all in all, it was a fantastic team effort.
“This was one of the most enjoyable four weeks we’ve had, even though we only got a 50% win record. The way the team, coaches, management and the game drivers made plans and worked tightly together with it was great, and we can take a lot from this going forward.”
How often have Bok fans felt that way after a Test in recent seasons? Definitely after last year’s 26-10 win over the All Blacks in Mbombela, the French game (even though they lost), the Italy clash and of course against England.
In 2021, the stand-out display came in the thrilling 31-29 win over the Kiwis in Australia, while in 2019, the World Cup final triumph over England and the Rugby Championship clincher against Argentina in Salta were memorable.
But those types of attack-minded, exciting performances have been few and far between in recent seasons, so it is time to change the Bok mindset in 2024 when they appoint a new head coach to replace Nienaber, who will join Leinster after the World Cup.
Calling for a more positive and attacking approach is no slight on Nienaber and director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus. They have been at pains to point out that Covid-19 robbed them of a full season of international rugby, which halted their development in becoming a genuine force with ball-in-hand.
Following the disastrous Allister Coetzee tenure in 2016 and 2017, it was understandable that the Boks went back to establishing high standards in their defence structures and forward play when Erasmus and Nienaber took over in 2018.
That traditional strategy brought some stability, although Erasmus also had a 50 percent win record in 2018. For me, what won them the World Cup final was the ability to switch on in attack when it mattered, as well as the individual brilliance of Lukhanyo Am and Cheslin Kolbe to engineer the two tries in Yokohama.
But when will we see a Springbok team matching the likes of Ireland and France in the attack stakes?
Erasmus and Nienaber have spoken about adding to the attacking arsenal over the last few months, with the November tour the start of their journey to the World Cup – but it would be a real surprise if they totally overhaul their style in the Rugby Championship and three warm-up Tests before they get to France.
So, expect strong defence, a solid kicking game, set-piece efficiency and a cohesive counter-attack strategy.
But those irritating box-kicks need to take a back seat in 2024. Whoever is appointed to take over from Nienaber as head coach – whether it’s someone in-house like Mzwandile Stick or Deon Davids, or an ‘outsider’ such as John Dobson or Johan Ackermann – must take the Boks to the next level on attack.
They have the players to do so. Willie le Roux will turn 34 in August, but if continues after the World Cup or not, there are several fullbacks who can give the Boks the necessary cutting edge with ball-in-hand – Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian Willemse and Warrick Gelant are just three men who immediately come to mind.
Then there are other strike-runners and playmakers who can make the Bok backline tick: Cheslin Kolbe, Canan Moodie, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Lukhanyo Am, Henco van Wyk, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Sanele Nohamba, Jaden Hendrikse… the list goes on and on.
There is no shortage of outstanding loose forwards either, but one guy who needs to get a Bok look-in during 2024 is Stormers star Hacjivah Dayimani, who has a unique skill-set with his pace, stepping and offloading skills.
Lions No 8 Francke Horn is not far off Dayimani with ball-in-hand as well.
So, all the ingredients are there for the Boks to go to another level on attack, which should ensure more consistent results as well instead of big one-off performances.
Can we dare to dream?
@AshfakMohamed