Nick Mallett: Springboks need to find a blend after ‘nervy’ Wallabies win with ‘safety net’ Handre Pollard

Nick Mallett feels the Springboks’ recent Rugby Championship win over the Wallabies in Cape Town showed how important Handre Pollard is to their cause and how crucial it is for them to find a balance in their style of play.

Pollard played a leading role for the world champions in their 30-22 triumph at the DHL Stadium and finished the encounter with a 15-point haul after a perfect goal-kicking performance in which he succeeded with three conversions and as many penalties.

The veteran playmaker also impressed with his kicking out of hand and game management as the Boks reverted to their pragmatic game-plan after they suffered a shock 38-22 defeat in the corresponding fixture with the Wallabies in Johannesburg.

That loss came after the world champions raced into a 22-0 lead midway through the opening half before the Wallabies launched a brilliant fightback to clinch their first win against the Boks in South Africa in 12 years and their first win at Ellis Park since 1963.

And Mallett feels the selection of Pollard as the Boks’ starting fly-half in Cape Town was a big reason that they managed to turn the tables on the Wallabies, who deserve plenty of credit for still putting the Boks under pressure despite losing the second clash between the teams.

“I think it gave all South Africans quite a shock, that performance the week before by the Australians in Emirates Park (Ellis Park),” Mallett told the Talking Boks podcast with Brenden Nel.

‘Having a guy like Pollard there was pretty critical’

“So there was a little bit of consternation. And the way we played, I mean, we played very sensible rugby under those conditions (in Cape Town). And also to get us back into the winning mode, having a guy like Pollard there was pretty critical.

“And our chasing was good. Kolbe was outstanding. I thought we controlled the kicking game well.

“I thought Pollard didn’t ever go away from the agreed game-plan. But we didn’t get the dominance with our pack that I expected. I thought we won one scrum penalty, but certainly we didn’t put them under pressure, which we need to do in order to get those good exits or entries into their exits from our 22 or entries into their 22.

“And our carries were reasonably good, but they were in it. That Australian side didn’t go away. And we got to a nice 20 points to seven.

“Suddenly, Fassi kicked it out on the full again. And we were thinking, this is going to be like the weekend before. They got back into it.

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“And in the second half, if I’m not mistaken, I think they were 10-8 or something like that. They played well. And had James O’Connor kicked better, it might have been a different result.

‘It wasn’t a comprehensive or confident performance’

“So we’re back on the winning road, but it wasn’t a comprehensive or confident performance. It was quite a tight, nervous, nervy performance by the Boks. And congratulations to Australia for making it as competitive as they did.”

Since last year, Springboks head coach Rassie has added ex-All Blacks fly-half Tony Brown to his coaching staff as the team’s attack coach, which has seen them playing more expansively in most of their matches over the last two years.

In that previous match between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg, the Boks had Manie Libbok at fly-half, who was pulling the strings on attack as they took that 22-0 lead.

However, things imploded spectacularly for the Boks as that match progressed and Mallett feels finding a balance between their pragmatic approach and more attacking style of play is something which they are still working on.

“So just going forward, looking ahead, the safety net is Pollard and the territorial game, the scrumming, the lineouts and the driving maul and the incredibly physical defence.

“That’s our safety net. We’re very good at that, but to suffocate teams and put them under the pressure that we did in the first 20 minutes, you have to know when to play with the backs and when to give it to your forwards to get the momentum.

“And I think that’s something we’re still trying. We’re still battling with (it). We either go from one way of playing, which is the Manie Libbok and perhaps Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (way), which is, let’s have a crack at everything.

“Or else we have the Pollard game, which is, let’s pick everything and occasionally pass the ball.

“So it’s a blend of those two that I think we were looking for and only experience is going to give it to us.”

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