I watched last weekend’s Ryder Cup with interest. I loved how they built what turned out to be an unassailable lead through teamwork and a clever strategy. Had a few more putts gone down, they’d have wrapped things up two days before the American fight-back on Day 3. On paper at least, the Europeans should have been blown away, but they weren’t. A lot of the praise should go to their captain, Luke Donald. He was very shrewd in his pairings. Often the management don’t get the praise they deserve and with that in mind, maybe it’s time to doff the cap to Rassie and his coaches.
Only a matter of weeks ago, I and many fans said they’d taken a big punt by leaving over 500 caps out of the 23 against New Zealand. The narrative was that the Springboks were gifted yet green. Credit, of course, must go to the players for that eye-catching 43-10 win, but it should also be noted how skilfully the coaches gave this gifted group of players the confidence to perform without fear.
In coaching, that’s the secret sauce. Changing personnel is one thing, but by giving a younger, more inexperienced group the ability to play, you are often going out on a limb. The fact the Boks have racked up 110 points in the last two games has vindicated their gut feeling. It is an indictment of good man-management and coaching. I would sound a note of caution that it’s not time to discard the old guard just yet. They will wait in the shadows, knowing they can do a job if called upon.
Now, if you look at all the other teams, they are trying to find the recipe to replicate how the Boks are playing. The Wallabies have tried with a stacked bench, and even the Pumas tried to replicate a ‘bomb squad’ with the likes of Matera off the pine, but they haven’t got close to replicating the same impact or indeed the results the Springboks have managed.
Coaches are always under the pump, and after two losses out of three earlier in the tournament, the fans were asking: is Tony-ball an issue? Is his influence taking us on the right path? However, the ability of that team to be cohesive no matter who they put on the field, and play the way they do, was laudable. It’s been a joy to watch.
There’s no doubt that the way Tony Brown played and coached with Japan is rubbing off on the Springboks. It is a more romanticised way of playing with flair, wit and spontaneity, but isn’t it wonderful when it all comes together and you can win trophies? Often the one doesn’t go with the other. The general principle is that you have to play pragmatically to eke out silverware, but the Boks are disproving that theory in this year’s Rugby Championship.
It’s funny. You don’t have to go back far – the 2021 Lions tour – when the Springboks were getting a torrent of criticism for kicking the ball too much and playing a dour brand of rugby. Some said it was the most boring series they’d ever watched, but they’ve stuck to their principles, evolved and right now it’s coming together. They’ve got the balance they want with the players they have. More often than not, coaches get brickbats not bouquets, but credit where credit is due, in these past few weeks, they have been sensational.
What I would say is that by deciding to twist rather than stick, Rassie has a lot more strings to his bow than he had, say, 12 months ago. He knows he can win a World Cup with Handré Pollard playing a certain way, and he can always revert, but he also knows he can play another way with a Plan B or even C to win a World Cup. Finding a way to win in multiple ways is a benefit in any sporting code.
Of course, there are questions about the longevity of some players, but their depth chart in pretty much every position is the envy of the rest of the world. Take tighthead: while Vincent Koch and Frans Malherbe may not go the distance, you have Thomas du Toit and Wilco Louw ready to step up. The great teams, whether it’s in American football, Premier League football or the NBA, all have their succession planning in order.
This success at international level has been achieved against a complicated global backdrop for South African rugby. They are stretched across so many fronts, with players plying their trade in different hemispheres with the URC, Top League in Japan and the Rugby Championship.
It’s a constant tightrope for coaches. They have to keep that momentum going. They know criticism is coming if they lose the odd game, but they cannot take their eye off the World Cup cycle, and when you’re double world champions, the pressure goes up another few levels. They have brought some new voices in, like Jerry Flannery and Brown, and seemingly have got the right people in through the door who have put their personalities into the mix.
We South Africans have always been typecast, maybe unfairly, as a team who defend really well but don’t play with much innovation offensively. Right now, we are getting both elements right, which is not easy.
Rugby is cyclical. I’ve coached international rugby, and at times I remember looking at the All Blacks and thinking, ‘I wish I had what they had,’ but now a lot of teams are wishing they had what we have. Our fans need to savour it, because it doesn’t last forever. It really doesn’t.
This success hasn’t happened overnight. Rassie has been in the system for a long time, and having consistency is so important. Look at someone like Ethan Hooker: he’s keeping Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi out of the team, but whoever holds that No 11 shirt, you know he can slip in and do the job.
To return to the Ryder Cup, it showed that when the right strategy was in place, even against someone like Scottie Scheffler, the best player in the world, it didn’t matter where he played: the team usurped individual brilliance.
So, what of Saturday? Where are the Boks now? Well, it doesn’t take Einstein to figure they’re strong favourites to retain the Rugby Championship. If they beat Argentina in London, no one can say they don’t deserve it.