The big question in the rugby world this weekend is how quickly can the All Blacks bounce back? I have no doubt they will still be a force at next year’s World Cup, but can they beat the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday? Coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Kane will be putting their positions on the line, desperate for the team as a whole to step up and play like the All Blacks usually do. Although they tried valiantly to make things better this week, the pressure and strain on…
The big question in the rugby world this weekend is how quickly can the All Blacks bounce back? I have no doubt they will still be a force at next year’s World Cup, but can they beat the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday?
Coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Kane will be putting their positions on the line, desperate for the team as a whole to step up and play like the All Blacks usually do. Although they tried valiantly to make a positive difference this week, the pressure and strain on them was evident.
Also read: Will the Springboks end the reign of beleaguered Ian Foster?
On their wish list for Ellis Park will be finding a way to deal with the Springboks’ fast-paced defense and their blitz-chase. All Blacks fans have since been shocked by how uneven the backline was under pressure last weekend in Nelspruit.
While South Africa’s quick defense was superb, it’s not a new tactic and previous New Zealand teams have had a knack for countering it – remember great players like Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Dan Carter and Christian Cullen?
After Mbombela went into hiding, Foster said it was his team’s best performance of the year, and even on Thursday he said “we’ve certainly seen the team grow”. Springbok fans will be reminded of a similar state of denial when Alistair Coetzee said there were positives to be taken from their 57-0 thrashing of the All Blacks in Albany in 2017.
But this is a New Zealand team that seems to have desperately low confidence, even theirs hack Mbambela’s was cut.
Their attack, despite the Springboks’ excellent attack-defence, was sharper than Porsche’s. But bear in mind that the All Blacks squad that ends on Saturday will still have an edge up front with the likes of Richie Mungo, Caleb Clarke, Rieko Ioane and Aaron Smith finding their form, as well as Beauden Barrett coming off the bench spare.
Also Read: All Blacks pick Mounga at 10 for Boks Test at Ellis Park
It wouldn’t be too much of a leap to say that New Zealand rugby has suffered from a lack of contact with South African teams since their exit from Super Rugby.
Competitions between the Kiwi, Australian and Pacific Islander teams are now even more about attacking, free-flowing rugby. A structured defense that brings massive physicality and is constantly in the face of the ball carriers is not something you see regularly and I believe the New Zealand back line were shocked by the lack of time and space they were given by both Ireland and Springbox.
No more pets of judges
They also seem to have struggled to come to terms with the fact that they are no longer world champions, are only ranked 5th in the world and are no longer the judges’ pets. They seem surprised they don’t get more protection from South Africa’s nasty game.
I was allowed to watch the All Blacks training briefly this week, the number of passes that went to ground and the number of kicks I saw was staggering.
But no one outside the camp can really know what is going on inside the team. Are the Crusaders players, so dominant in Super Rugby, really breaking the spirits of their coach and captain?
Perhaps the minimalist, grimy decor of Ellis Park and the surrounding area will bring out the warrior spirit of a team that remains, on paper, a top class team. Backs to the wall, will it be a case of fight and not flight? If ever there was a time to throw out a questionnaire, to be so desperate that confidence doesn’t matter, it’s Saturday.
Last weekend was a strange armchair ride for the Springboks, it could be a completely different ball game on Saturday.
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