The line-out is normally where the magic happens for the Springboks. It’s their biggest attacking platform and something they take a lot of pride in.
But last Saturday at Ellis Park they were outfoxed by a cunning Wallabies team in their Rugby Championship opener. The Springboks ended the match with a 68.8% success rate in that department, losing several balls on their own throw because of the brilliant competing by the Australians.
When you take away the Springboks’ line-out, you take away several options in their attacking arsenal. Their much-vaunted maul is immediately nullified, while their variety of trick plays are also null and void.
The strike plays when they go off the top of the lineout are also curtailed. This worked so well in that blazing 20 minutes of rugby in the first half, when centre André Esterhuizen and the loose forwards hit the line hard to gain attacking momentum.
The maul is also viewed as an energy sapper for the opposition forwards. So, it wasn’t surprising to see the Wallaby pack still fresh in that final quarter of the match, which in the end seemed to be the difference in the 38-22 victory.
Many of the Boks’ other problems were connected to their malfunctioning line-out. Playing on the back foot saw them struggling to gain momentum at the collisions, which in turn saw them turn over the ball 17 times.
So, how do the Boks right the ship ahead of their second meeting with the Wallabies in Cape Town on Saturday (5.10pm kick-off)?
The man calling the shots at line-out time in the No 5 jersey this weekend, Ruan Nortje, believes that they have analysed what went wrong and have made the plans to get their biggest weapon to fire again.
“At the end of the day, we as the locks make the plan together, not just the guys who were on the field,” Nortje told the media, at the team’s hotel on Wednesday.
“We know we are better than what we dished up on Saturday. But we have to credit Australia. They came with different pictures than they showed in previous matches. It may have caught us offside.
“This week has been about focusing on our plans and executing to the best of our abilities.”
On their own line-out, the other thing the Wallabies did well was taking quick throw-ins – often skew – to try and get the ball in play before the Boks had a chance to contest.
According to the recent law change, teams can get away with a skew throw-in if a team does not compete at line-out time. And the Wallabies did well to take the Boks’ own strategy to compete away from them.
“We try to make the best plans to get front-foot ball. Australia did well this weekend to take quick line-outs to try and catch us off guard, by throwing the ball in before we can compete,” said Nortje.
“Sometimes they got away with it and other times they were blown up for a skew line-out.”
Nortje will start a Test match with RG Snyman for the very first time, while veterans Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager will feature off the bench in a 6-2 split. It’s a clear indication that the Boks will try and make up for the problems they faced at Ellis Park.
With Etzebeth and De Jager coming off the bench, the starting pair of Snyman and Nortje are expected to “empty the tank” in a massive physical onslaught in the shadow of Table Mountain at the DHL Stadium.
“It’s my first time starting with RG, and I’m really excited to get the opportunity to play alongside him. He was at the Bulls a few years ago and I’ve always wanted to play with him.
“We can feed off each other a lot, and I’m personally excited about that. When you put on that jersey it’s just about working hard and emptying the tank.”
