30 September 2019, by: Quintin Van Jaarsveld

RWC 2019: African derby served its purpose for Springboks

Saturday’s African derby against neighbours Namibia, although predictably lopsided and tough to watch at times, served its purpose for the Springboks, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

One cannot be overly critical of a 57-3 win, especially when it came on the same day that hosts Japan sent shockwaves through Rugby World Cup 2019 with their sensational upset against Ireland, South Africa’s likely quarterfinal opponents.

It’s clear that the Springboks learned from their shock loss to the Brave Blossoms four years ago as they gave Namibia the necessary respect, focused on the task at hand and got the job done in Toyota City.

It wasn’t as clinical a performance as Rassie Erasmus would’ve hoped for, but it was nevertheless a momentum-building bonus-point win that saw South Africa open their account and put the disappointing 23-13 defeat to the All Blacks squarely in the rearview window.

The 2019 vintage understand it’s dangerous to give underdogs a sniff – a lesson the Irish, who entered the global showpiece as the world’s number one team, learned the hard way – and it was evident that they were fuelled by focus in the way they stayed structured to sew up the four-try (three coming from driving mauls) bonus-point and effectively the win after just 27 minutes.

That’s one of the boxes the Boks’ ticked at the weekend – showcasing the all-important mental strength required to succeed in the high-stakes World Cup environment.

Aside from providing a glimpse into the Springboks’ psyche, the clash afforded second-stringers valuable game time and offered clarity on combinations and experiments tried out on the day. In that regard, it was a mixed bag.

The streamlined loose trio of Francois Louw, Kwagga Smith and captain Schalk Brits didn’t have the desired effect, although, in fairness, one probably couldn’t have expected a whole lot from the makeshift trio first time out.

Smith was uncharacteristically quiet and ineffective. His timing at the breakdown was off, leading to a penalty in the 24th minute when he jumped the gun, and made him a nonfactor for the most part. The rusty-looking Lions star was plucked off after 54 minutes and the explosive impact of his replacement, regular skipper Siya Kolisi, only highlighted Smith’s struggles on the day.

As the only out-and-out fetcher in the squad, Smith’s underwhelming effort will be a worry for Erasmus. Brits’ brilliant outing at No.8, meanwhile, was the biggest positive that came out of the game, with the veteran’s now proven versatility being a welcome boost (see our best Boks feature for a detailed look at his heroics).

Sparks flew in the second row, where RG Snyman and Lood de Jager were outstanding both individually and as a combination. The Springboks undoubtedly boast the best lock depth in the tournament, and the all-action tall timbers proved once again that they can be relied upon to make an impact and fill the shoes of first-choice duo Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert if needed.

As for ‘Jantjies squared’, Herschel made the most of the opportunity while Elton had a shocker. The Lions flyhalf’s dreadful display will probably be Erasmus’ biggest concern coming out of the contest. One would hope that it was a case of Jantjies shaking off the rust at this early stage of the tournament, ahead of the business stage.

Frans Steyn and Lukhanyo Am, conversely, looked like a settled centre pairing. They gelled impressively well and the power of Steyn and speed and skill of Am caused plenty of problems for the Namibians. The back three also operated well collectively and individually, Makazole Mapimpi, Sbu Nkosi and Warrick Gelant all running rampant and working hard without the ball.

Overall, the backline didn’t capitalise on the platform set by the dominant pack, with much of the magic coming from Brits or via good interplay between the forwards and backs. Converting opportunities into points, which proved costly against New Zealand, remains a work in progress. The two-time world champions made 14 clean breaks, eight of which came in the first half, and even though they ran in nine tries, five came from structured play, so they wouldn’t have been pleased with their conversion rate.

Ultimately, it was a positive hit out that provided answers and momentum. After losing Trevor Nyakane to injury in the tournament opener, the Springboks came through this second assignment unscathed and Erasmus now has a better understanding of which tools still need sharpening.

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