Schalk Burger: All Blacks can’t play around a failing scrum
Springboks and All Blacks scrum with an inset of Schalk Burger.
Former Springboks flanker Schalk Burger says that the All Blacks scrum has to improve if they are to continue their up-tempo style of play.
Since Dave Rennie took over from Scott Robertson as the team’s head coach, the All Blacks have returned to type, with a huge emphasis on keeping the ball in hand and going through multiple phases in attack.
New Zealand’s attack has historically been the envy of teams across the world, with Rassie Erasmus praising that strength after the third Test match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Soweto.
However, the scrum has been an issue for Rennie’s charges in South Africa, with the Stormers and Lions putting the All Blacks’ set-piece under pressure in the tour matches, with the Boks doing the same, particularly in the third encounter.
Burger believes that South Africa’s dominance at scrum time was a major reason why Erasmus’ men were able to fight their way back into the game despite the Boks struggling defensively.
A stalemate won’t sit well with Rassie Erasmus’ men
Furthermore, he adds that the fourth and final Test match in Baltimore won’t be an exhibition match for South Africa but one that the team will be hell-bent on winning.
“I don’t think it will sit well with this current crop of Boks if they don’t get a 3-1 series win. If this ends in a draw, like all the hard work is undone,” he said on SuperSport’s Verdict show.
“That will be a hard pill to swallow for this Boks side. So, this is a tricky week. I think what we did see in that game was the toll that it has had emotionally and physically on the players. You think of the big injuries over the weekend, of the Boks looking flat in that first 20, 25 minutes. I don’t think people understand how hard it is to do three back-to-back Tests like that and then you’ve got to do the travel.
“They flew out on Saturday evening, midnight, sore bodies. So, this is a short week and it’s about mental application in Baltimore.”
“But besides that, how good was Soweto? My first time back in that stadium since 2010, the famous John Smit 100th game where Ma’a Nonu lost his boot, and we lost on the hooter.
“But Soweto pitched up. The atmosphere was unreal. How good is that stadium when it’s jam-packed? There are 86,000 people, give or take. It was cold down there.
“And then, and for me, that game, the Boks did so well to wrestle control back, because we were looking from where we were sat after 25 minutes, the All Blacks were putting them on the serious pump.”
Ex-All Blacks captain highlights ‘key moments’ which led to defeat in third Greatest Rivalry Test
Springboks’ defence
While Burger was impressed by the Springboks’ ability to fight back into the match and ultimately win the Test at the FNB Stadium, he says that the team’s defence is a major issue.
“We all know New Zealand are fast starters, similar to Ireland, and they had such a quick start on the weekend, but we’ve got some issues in defence, and that will be highlighted again,” the former flanker said.
“We get narrow, we don’t fold, and we sort of do this concertina thing, and we don’t have enough line speed because, physicality-wise, for the first 25, they dominated the Springboks.”
All Blacks’ scrum issue
He argues that while the All Blacks’ attack has been impressive, they do make errors in the latter stages of matches and that’s where the scrum becomes important.
It also didn’t help that South Africa’s defence improved in the second half, according to the ex-loose forward.
“You’ll probably see that in the second half where Malcolm Marx makes his first turnover in the 60th minute. When last did you see Malcolm actually having an opportunity to steal 60 minutes into the game? But then, unfortunately for them, their skill execution dropped in the second half and it’s something that’s so hard to maintain when you play that much with the ball,” Burger explained.
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“The Springboks actually grew in defence. Like there was a bit of line speed with Sacha coming up the line, Cameron Hanekom on Damian McKenzie, Pieter-Steph du Toit put someone away with a bit of line speed, and they started feeling a bit of pressure, also scoreboard pressure, and they made errors.
“Unfortunately for them, when that error did occur, the Boks’ scrum was absolutely dominant, and you can’t play around a failing scrum. We’ve said it so many times on this show. That scrum and the Springbok lineout were unreal again. Backed up by that maul. For me, those were the two biggest moments: the scrum in the first half, the penalty try.”
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