Opinion: Ruthless France a shining example for South Africa after Six Nations

Jon Cardinelli

21 Mar 2022 1:54 PM

The Springboks will struggle to beat like-minded teams such as France and Ireland this November unless they address their game-management shortcomings, writes Jon Cardinelli.

Rugby in the northern-hemisphere is strong, and local fans have concrete reasons to believe that a European side can win the 2023 World Cup.

France and Ireland beat the All Blacks last November. England downed Australia and South Africa in the same Autumn Series. The times are definitely a-changing.

It’s important to bear the cross-hemisphere results in mind when assessing the recently concluded 2022 Six Nations in a broader context. France have carried their form from the Autumn Nations Series through to the Six Nations, and have finally got their hands on some silverware. Ireland have continued to grow, and have earned a reward in the shape of a Triple Crown.

And yet, some questions about the quality of these teams remain unanswered. Both have proved that they can go toe-to-toe with the All Blacks, and that they have the temperament to close out big games,. Both, however, are yet to beat the current world champions.

South Africa will face Ireland and France

This November, Ireland will face the Boks for the first time since 2017. France will battle South Africa for the first time since 2018.

Both matches will show where the respective teams stand a year out from the 2023 World Cup.

The Boks beat the British & Irish Lions and finished the 2021 season at the top of the World Rugby rankings. Going into the 2022 Test season, however, the South African coaches will demand a higher level of execution in anticipation of the team’s most challenging schedule to date.

France have made a significant tactical shift over the past few seasons. The influence of former Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards has been evident, as has the input of former Bulls and Stormers kicking coach Vlok Cilliers.

While the team often receives plaudits for an all-out attacking approach, their success is rooted in a powerful set-piece, an abrasive defensive system, and a pin-point kicking game.

France have taken the fight to opponents in the trenches and in the air. When opponents have failed to deal with that pressure, the broken-field wizards in the French backline have converted counter-attacking chances into points.

France are employing a style of rugby that is very similar to that of the Boks. What sets the teams apart at this stage is the level of execution.

After outmuscling their opponents and kicking themselves into good field positions, France have pulled the trigger to score. The Boks, by contrast, have wasted hard-earned scoring opportunities and have lost some close matches.

Lock Paul Willemse recently claimed that France have the best pack in world rugby. Nobody remembers a team’s set-piece and gainline exploits, however, if that team fails to translate that dominance into points.

It is here whether France’s chief decision-makers – Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack – have been particularly outstanding. Across the backline, they have players – the exceptional Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud to highlight two – that take good options regularly to ensure that the team earns maximum reward for its effort.

The Boks boast enough depth to field two world-class packs and have very few peers at the scrum, lineout, maul and breakdown. With that kind of artillery, they should be blowing teams away on the scoreboard.

It’s something they need to address in the coming months. Faf de Klerk and Handré Pollard blew hot and cold over the course of the 2021 season. While the Boks possess a good kicking strategy, the quality of the kicking and indeed the decision-making – when to kick and when to pass – left a lot to be desired.

The half-backs, and another key decision-maker in full-back Willie le Roux, will need to be more consistent in 2022. The Boks have Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi and several other top finishers at their disposal. They need to create more situations where these players are running into space or at an opposition that is transitioning from attack to defence.

It should be noted that the Covid-19 restrictions and the time spent in bio-bubbles over the course of the 2021 season had an adverse effect on individuals and the collective as a whole. The team should be in a better mental space in 2022, and that may assist with their level of execution.

The Boks will have a chance to build when they host Wales for a three-Test series in July. Thereafter, they will host the All Blacks in two Tests as part of their Rugby Championship campaign. Word from the camp is that they are desperate to win the mini-series against their traditional foes and to claim the Rugby Championship title.

Even if the Boks realise those objectives, another step up will be required when they head to Europe to face Ireland, France, Italy and England – the latter outside the World Rugby window.

Each fixture will present a series of unique challenges. The Boks will be searching for their first win in Dublin since 2012, and will be hoping to land a psychological blow against Ireland before meeting them in the pool stage of the 2023 World Cup.

While the Boks haven’t lost to France since 2009, their next visit to the Stade de France will be especially challenging. Les Bleus will be gunning for a Bok scalp a year out from a World Cup staged on French soil. There’s a chance that the two teams could meet in the quarter-finals.

The Boks need to find some solutions to their game-management problems well ahead of that meeting in November. If they don’t, they may lose a lot more than a one-off result in Paris, and may slide down the rankings.

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