Jake White: Springboks’ onslaught proves that this All Blacks team lacks ‘Terminators’
All Blacks fly-half Richie Mo'unga attempts to tackle Springboks winger Kurt-Lee Arendse with an inset of Jake White.
Former Springboks head coach Jake White believes that the All Blacks lack ‘Terminators’ following Richie Mo’unga’s comments after Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series.
The 2007 World Cup-winning coach was stunned by how often South Africa were able to win the gain-line battle during the last three Tests in particular.
Jake White stunned by Springboks’ dominance
The Springboks are renowned for their physicality and ability on the gain-line, but White states that while they are able to boss the post-contact metres against most nations, it’s always been different against the All Blacks.
Still, the former Bulls boss is adamant that New Zealand have turned the corner under Dave Rennie and are trending in the right direction with the World Cup on the horizon.
Reviewing Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series in his Rugby Pass column, White believed that Ardie Savea’s injury in the third Test match was a deciding factor.
“Of course, the All Blacks getting off to a winning start in Johannesburg gave the series the perfect platform, but in the deciding Test, when Ardie Savea went off in the 31st minute, it appeared New Zealand’s hopes went with him,” he wrote.
Commenting on how the Springboks bossed the gain-line, he added: “As for the All Blacks, we can justifiably say they’ve truly turned a corner, but what I’ve picked up from numerous commentators is them documenting how the Springboks have ‘made yards with every carry’. In living memory, I am struggling to remember when that has happened before. Sure, it happens to other sides, but not the All Blacks.”
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All Blacks are lacking ‘Terminators’
New Zealand’s personnel and mindset are part of the issue, according to White, who did single out centre Jordie Barrett as an exception, particularly on defence.
While he highlighted some of the big, strong ball carriers that the Springboks have, he said that the All Blacks don’t have the same kind of threats that they used to possess.
“Now one of the key principles of rugby is to go forward, but it’s easier said than done with modern defences. That momentum allows you to put the defence under pressure. Look at Jasper Wiese, Ox Nche, Damian de Allende. They are all comfortable carrying straight and hard and it hurt New Zealand. A word for Jordie Barrett, however. Amidst the onslaught, I thought he was outstanding in defence,” he continued.
“When they were on the back foot, they used their power to drive the All Blacks backwards, inch-by-inch, away from the try-line. To the naked eye, they don’t have the likes of Jonah Lomu, Jerome Kaino, Ma’a Nonu, Brodie Retallick or Tana Umaga to punch holes in the same way. Take that 32-phase try, finished off by Will Jordan. It was incredible, but it must have taken so much out of them. You can’t do that for 80 minutes. It’s too much. They need to find guys who can get post-contact metres. Maybe with Caleb Clarke and Leicester Fainga’anuku back in situ, they might have more punch.
“As much as they’re making progress, they’re still chasing the Springboks’ tails. In the post-match interview, reporters asked Richie Mo’unga if this Springbok team was better than the 2023 World Cup vintage. His answer, ‘yes, they are incredibly good at creating pressure without the ball’. Kieran Read agreed, when he said, ‘they fight for everything on the ground. Every player goes hard at the breakdown, whether it’s the scrum-half, the hooker or the outside backs, they don’t give away any territory lightly’.
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“That’s a collective decision. A collective responsibility and collective physicality. It comes off the bench; it comes with rotation, and behind closed doors is most likely Rassie holding them to account. The secret for any coach is how you keep that burning desire on the field. I’ve coached against them and New Zealand used to have it in spades. The Jerry Collins, Sam Whitelocks and Richie McCaws gave you absolutely nothing. They were like Terminators. They just kept coming back. Those comments tell me Mo’unga was left feeling under the pump, and if you can make the 10 feel under pressure all the time, the whole game plan starts to shift in your favour.”
