Eddie Jones: Plaudits go to ‘sensational’ Cheslin Kolbe and the ‘basic Springboks’ while Wallabies fall to ‘scoreboard pressure’
Eddie Jones: Plaudits go to Cheslin Kolbe and the 'basic Springboks' while Wallabies fall to 'scoreboard pressure'
Another fantastic weekend of Rugby Championship action left me musing the manner that we’re seeing tactics and strategy changing around the game – and at a much faster rate than you might first think.
Changing shape of rugby
Let’s examine some of the key events from the matches.
In the South Africa versus Australia game, we saw six tries – yet within those scores, there was only one or two passes to create a haul of 30 points, a phenomenally interesting statistic. The scores came from pick and go’s or from aerial contesting, two of the easiest ways to score in test rugby these days.
As a coach, you have to ask yourself why this is, and I put it down to a number of factors.
We have seen a move from straight-up blitz defences to a more moderate push for the most part. The key difference here is in the blitz, you man watch and attack the shirt, looking to cut off around the 13 channel; in the moderated push, you look to maintain width, and you watch the ball rather than the man – a much harder defence to break at the edge seam.
Then, factor in that a lot of teams are playing pods off nine; in that instance, you’ll see a carrier with a supporter on either side of him offering offload or clearing options into the next contact. The moment this happens, the attacking side is three players short numerically over and above the defence – they become narrow in attack and unless the defence misses a contest or someone pulls off a miracle pass, the defence should always win.
No pass scores
Sides are desperate to score with as few passes as possible – transition attack is now the key to winning at Test level, and teams are playing to achieve this with as few rucks as possible to prevent the defensive reset.
How does this affect players? Well, we’re seeing a move back from the flat track power wings of Duhan van der Merwe, George North and co. and we’re seeing them replaced by ‘aerialists’ and ‘evaders’, players like Cheslin Kolbe, Edwill van der Merwe, Rodrigo Isgro and Max Jorgensen thrive, athletes with phenomenal standing jumps, able to challenge much bigger men than themselves and win the contest ‘upstairs’.
We’re also seeing a move to smaller, more dynamic number eights; I’m often amused by people suggesting that Ben Earl, Ardie Savea, Kwagga Smith or even our own Japanese star, Kazuki Himeno, are too small and not ‘real eights.’ The simple fact is the back-row is changing, with many sides playing hybrid locks on the blindside and real fast ‘double’ sevens at eight and openside. At scrum time, there’s more attacking space than at any other moment in the game, so having a pacy and elusive eight like those I’ve mentioned are absolutely vital to get impetus off the base – fast and hard into the 10/12 channel when numbers in D are at their lowest.
Comment: ‘Far from exceptional’ Springboks ’cause alarm’ despite Handre Pollard’s efforts
Referee consistency
Another factor in these changes is the consistency that the World Rugby teams of officials are creating within their group at the breakdown. We’re seeing joined up thinking from the ref teams in the way they interpret the ruck area and I’d like to commend them for managing to achieve this – it’s a really important feature when you’re coaching to know how that floor area will be interpreted and I feel we’re in a really good place in terms of that consistency.
However, on the flip side of that, there are still too many technical offences at scrum time. The way refs are assessed means that they’re penalised or marked down for reset scrums, so on one hand, they’re taking time to ensure stability, but on the other, they’ll ping a minor technical error rather than reset.
Last night, New Zealand got a huge shove on Los Pumas, but Argentina maintained their scrum shape going backwards in one play. The ref penalised them – but my view is if they’re only going backwards but largely legal in retreat, you need to play on. There are far too many easy outs being given in that regard, which in turn only means more no-pass tries, from the ensuing kick to touch and lineout maul.
Basic Springboks
It was no surprise that the Springboks went back to their meat-and-potatoes style of rugby against Australia. Or should I say ‘woers and mealies’?!
It’s the style that’s got them four World Cups, and it’s in their DNA to play powerful and abrasive rugby with a focus on athleticism in the air and muscle around the breakdown.
Whilst a lot of the plaudits will go to the assured display of Handre Pollard, I want to return to that man Kolbe and his impact on the match. Do you remember when you were a kid, those compressed elastic balls called ‘Powerballs’ that bounced almost to the moon and back? I’m sure Cheslin’s made from the same elastic, as his ability to bounce off tackles and get off the floor into the air is quite remarkable.
His work rate is something sensational; he’s always looking for an intervention, a moment of innovation, a chance to change the course of the game. For all of Pollard’s brilliance with his tactical kicking, Kolbe made so many of his marginal kicks into winning moments due to incredible chasing and that unreal standing leap that defines his athleticism.
One nuance that I think played into South Africa’s hands was the enforced change before kick-off that saw Jean-Luc du Preez swapped out for Kwagga Smith. Now, I wouldn’t put it past Rassie Erasmus to have engineered this in his own intelligent way, but Smith’s ability in the wet conditions around the breakdown, supported by Van Staden and Nche, was crucial for them. I’d add – I am against the regulation that insists on early named teams without the ability to make changes, and it’s a law I’d remove if I were World Rugby.
Another nuance was the difference in goal kicking between the Wallabies and South Africa, something that really played into framing the result. Pollard nailed a full house, James O’Connor left 11 points out there, getting three from seven. Whilst JOC has run the backline well, scoreboard pressure is key at Test level, especially against the Boks, who aren’t a particularly high scoring side compared to others – grabbing your marginal points against them is absolutely key.
However, I do think South Africa are in a moment of transition – they’re learning what style suits new personnel and they’re exploring who stays and who goes in terms of the cycle of established stars, so a little inconsistency is to be expected at this stage.
Los Pumas aim for consistency
New Zealand are in a similar cycle stage to South Africa, but I don’t think they’ve got quite the depth of players coming through to challenge. If Argentina had turned up in Cordoba in the first half, they might be two from two in this tournament – and I think even the most fervent All Black fan would agree they were beaten in every department last night by an excellent Argentinian side.
Los Pumas are in that transition zone in the rankings, alongside England and a couple of others. To move into that top five elite bracket, dominated by SA, France, Ireland and New Zealand, with England just behind, they need to be thinking in terms of blocks of three wins on the run – consistent performances around a given structure.
I see no reason why they couldn’t achieve this with a bit of selection fortune (injuries) and confidence. Perhaps they’re a scrum short of the very best, but the Buenos Aires match demonstrated that, above all, they’ve as much pace in their backline as any in the world. They have two world-class 10s, and Tomas Albornoz, unlucky to go off, is arguably the form fly-half in the game right now.
Playing their players in sevens has helped their aerial game considerably – that’s why we’re seeing the likes of Delguy and Isgro dominating the kick chase battle, and similarly, why they’ve got such great fast footwork.
And any nation in the world would kill for those back-row stocks they have – and each player adds something different. Juan Martin Gonzalez was key in rebalancing their trio in Buenos Aires – he makes half breaks, has soft hands and is superb in the air. He’s a great ‘skill’ counterpoint to the physicality of Matera and Kremer, and has the potential to be a Test great. Then, bolt on the likes of Oviedo, Isa, the amazing athlete that’s Guido Petti and even Santi Grondona and you’d rightly conclude that there are few Test sides with the sheer quality of back-row options they possess.
Very lastly, whilst it was a shocker of a day for the All Blacks, Simon Parker caught my eye at eight for them; there’s a little bit of Kieran Read about his play and I feel that he’s one that will serve them well for the future, especially if Razor chooses to pick Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi either side of him, with Fabian Holland also starting to find his feet in front of them.
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