Covid 19 has shown the South African rugby community one thing, we cannot succeed as a rugby nation in a bubble. After the various internal tournaments resulting in the Bulls inevitably winning it showed us that they are currently the best team in SA without a shadow of doubt. This has been achieved with very little of the Springbok talent pool and with either older or younger players somewhat off the radar. Going into the match we sat on the couch expecting the Jake White juggernaut to roll over the Italians without breaking a sweat even in the muggy conditions. This was not to be as the Bulls were cast aside without much trouble by what we viewed as a lesser team. As a rugby nation we were taught an important lesson without inflicting too much damage on the brand before we commence the United Rugby Championship. We were/are arrogant when it comes to the strength of European rugby and the sooner we realise the challenge on our hands the better.
Playing in drier, faster conditions means we place more emphasis on the ability of players to win one and one matchups in the space be it through running over or around someone. We have the advantage against many European teams on paper with our game breakers in space. The problem is that wetter, heavier conditions in Europe doesn’t allow space for players to beat opposition one and one. It involves more gang tackles and a battle of attrition to find the gaps through ball retention and clever use of runners. The coaches in South Africa would know this and expect a steep learning curve similar to what the Cheetahs went through in the Pro14, winning at home and struggling away. This will benefit the players in the long run having to adapt to different conditions similar to what Test matches require of international players.
The issue will be how quickly the teams adapt to the new tactics without losing the core strengths of their teams and I expect some head scratching loses to start with. Tactically we can see all of the local teams moving towards what will be expected of them in the Northern Hemisphere but until the rubber hits the road we won’t know. The brains trust in Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber will be able to hold the hands of the more inexperienced coaching teams through their collective time spent overseas seeing it first-hand. Often the best learning comes from losing and self-reflection from players and coaches alike and I expect plenty of learning opportunities early one.
As South Africans we need to understand that sport isn’t about winning when you are playing well but rather about winning when you are playing badly. It is easy on a hot day at Loftus when you are pounding the opposition into dust with every bone crunching hit but much harder when no one in the team can catch a high ball because it is so covered in mud and rain. That is when you learn about a team’s character and who in the team can rise above to make the game changing play against all odds. The Cheetahs never played in the Pro14 long enough for the players to learn that ability and looked almost sheepish on tour when it came to the business end of matches. I hope that the four franchises will do better but I expect it to be a journey with many Benetton like results along the way. Will the South African public and media understand this? I hope so but won’t hold my breath.
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