The Springboks will add some dash and verve to their regular sledgehammer game at Rugby World Cup, because what worked to win the title in 2019 will be insufficient four years later.
This was the frank admission from coach Jacques Nienaber, after he had named his team to play Scotland in Marseille on Sunday (kick-off 5.45pm).
And his match-23 is indeed a combination of the broadsword and the rapier.
The Springbok forwards are the envy of the competition – all 14 of them – but with the likes of Manie Libbok at No 10 and Damian Willemse at No 15, the Boks have game-breakers.
The game has evolved
Nienaber said the game has evolved since his team defeated England in the final of the Japan tournament.
“I think all the teams have improved since 2019, but World Cups are a bit different,” he said.
“You must have the ability to score points, whereas in 2019, you could grind it out with a good defence, a good kicking game, a solid set-piece. We have had to adapt.
“I don’t think we’re the finished product yet but we are working towards that.”
This intent to attack is good news for Bok fans and for the World Cup in general.
In the Boks’ last two warm-up games, they racked up record scores against Wales and New Zealand and their free-flowing attack was a wonderful sight to behold.
But this doesn’t mean the Boks will take the field against the Scots in Barbarians mode. The Boks will do the hard yards first before unleashing their fleet-footed backs.
Nienaber explained: “For us, rugby is always going to stay the same. You have to get possession to score points, and for that, you will need proper set-pieces, then you will need momentum when you attack.
‘You must contain them’
“And when you defend, you must contain them, you must stop them. There’s the kicking game in between.
“Then, if you’re not getting momentum, you’re not getting quick ball, you exchange it for territory, kick the ball away and put pressure on them.”
And the Springbok DNA under Rassie Erasmus and Nienaber continues to be reflected in the bench named for Scotland, with only Grant Williams and Willie le Roux covering the backs.
The Boks clearly aim to throttle the life out of the Scots upfront, as they did against the All Blacks.
The 6-2 split is a gamble and when Nienaber was asked this week in Toulon which forward would step into the backline should the backs pick up more than two injuries, his answer was cagey.
“We have players who have the ability to play there (in the backline) if they have to but if I went into that, I would be delving into tactical stuff – and I don’t want to give anything away,” Nienaber said.
“If that (injuries in the backs) should happen, we will adapt.”
Utmost respect
Nienaber acknowledged that Scotland have to be given the utmost respect.
“They are a quality rugby side. They deserve to be ranked fifth in the world. Their performances over the last 18 months have been consistent against the big teams. It will be a proper Test match. We’re playing quarter-final knockout rugby from day one.”
Scotland have a strong South African influence, with forwards coach Pieter de Villiers having fulfilled the same role with the country of his birth.
At the same time, there are two ‘Saffers’ in the front row in Pierre Schomean and WP Nel, and on the wing, the lethal Duhan van der Merwe has scored a stunning 18 tries in his 30 Test matches.
“I’ve worked closely with Pieter, and I’ve coached Duhan and Pierre Schoeman at South African schools level. They know us and we know them, and we’ll have to have a close eye on them,” Nienaber added.