Even Jacques Nienaber’s characteristically cool demeanour has become ruffled by repeated critiques of South Africa ’s playing style, with Steve Hansen the latest to join that bandwagon.
The Springboks recently came from behind to beat the British and Irish Lions 2-1 in a summer series after going 20 months without playing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
South Africa—who currently lead the Rugby Championship standings—drew scrutiny from many for their style, largely opting to keep play close within their forwards and minimise certain risks.
That led former New Zealand head coach Hansen to slate the reigning world champions in a recent radio appearance, suggesting South Africa have no faith in their back line to do damage.
“You have got two big packs and two coaches who don’t have any belief in what is going to happen if they throw the ball around, so they just beat each other up,” Hansen said.
“‘Let’s slow the ball down, let’s get off our feet, do whatever we can to make sure our defensive line is stable so we can keep battering’.
“It’s not a game that anybody wants to watch. Yes, we want a good physical contest, that is what the game is about – physicality, speed, using the ball and skill. Could you say we saw that in that series? Of course we didn’t and it turned a lot of people off.”
While Hansen—a 2015 Rugby World Cup winner—may not be alone in his criticism of the rugby during the Lions series, it’s wrong to assume any team must prioritise entertainment levels in their play.
Led by the tag-team of Nienaber and director Rassie Erasmus, South Africa have won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, a condensed Rugby Championship in the same year, and now a Lions series.
Asked whether he was growing tired of the resistance directed against his team, Nienaber told reporters: “Yes. To be honest, I didn’t see the comment. With everything that has happened to us and the quarantine stuff and us doing our review and having our goal for this week and what we have to produce as a team, I didn’t see Steve’s comments.
“But for me on playing styles, as I have said in the past, each team has its own squad, has its own skill set and will have its own unique athletic ability and DNA and they will play towards what strengths (sic) their DNA.
“That is the beauty of rugby. It’s the different styles and different ways to win Test matches. You play what you see in front of you and then you have to adapt to that.”
The tactician’s words echo those of fly-half Handre Pollard, who recently described the Boks’ approach as “a thing of beauty,” and the type of play South Africans “come to enjoy.”
The Springboks also lead World Rugby’s rankings as they prepare to resume their Rugby Championship in Queensland, where they will face two double-headers against Australia and New Zealand.
The All Blacks triumphed 23-13 when they last faced off against the Springboks during the group stage of the last Rugby World Cup, at which point Hansen was still at the helm.
Nienaber used the tournament as a reference for how different games demand different approaches: “In 2019, I don’t want to go back to that continuously but in the quarter-finals, we played one of the most exciting, most attacking teams in Japan.
“Then in the semi-final, we had to adapt and change our way of playing to play against Wales and it was pretty much this massive arm wrestle. Then we played England which was probably a good blend between the two, between Japan and Wales.
“They had a good kicking game, a good defence system, put you under pressure in various ways. Not that the others don’t do it but, as I say, each team has got its own DNA and your ability to adapt to that and also play to your strengths and your DNA, pretty much every team in the world is going to do that.”
There is a counter-argument to suggest while South Africa’s style may appear turgid at times, it’s the responsibility of their opponents to find a manner of rendering it ineffective.
The country has long had a reputation for producing strong, aggressive forwards packs who lean on their set-piece and strength at the breakdown to gain the territory they need to win.
New Zealand, meanwhile, are notorious carriers of the ball who have gained renown for their free-handed brand of rugby, but there’s no obligation for teams to meet them like-for-like.
While the condemnation may prove tiring, Nienaber and South Africa are steadfast enough to weather any tirade and, if anything, will double down in the knowledge their efforts must be working.
