Jordan Hendrikse termed it ‘Tonyball’, and if you’ve been impressed by the Springboks’ attacking game in 2024, you haven’t seen the half of it yet.
That was the suggestion from the man himself, assistant coach Tony Brown, in London yesterday ahead of Saturday’s Test against England at Twickenham.
The world champions have sought to evolve their approach on attack, but as scrumhalf Cobus Reinach mentioned yesterday, the former All Black flyhalf has “changed the way we see attack” in the short time he’s been involved with the South Africans.
And that’s a scary thought for the rest of the rugby world, as the general, stereotypical assertion is that the Boks can only scrum, maul and kick penalties – something they have actively tried to change over the last few years, which has been taken into overdrive by the arrival of New Zealander Brown into their ranks.
“Absolutely loving it! Tony came in and changed the way we see attack, and taught us how to be brave on attack – and how we as nines can now scoot a little bit and take the ball one, two, three steps before we make a decision on who to hit,” Reinach said yesterday.
“It’s nice to have the ball in hand and not just pass it off the deck all the time! Everyone’s bought in, and it’s been really, really good for us.”
The Boks scored the most tries, 24, in their triumphant six-match Rugby Championship campaign, with New Zealand on 22, Argentina on 20 and Australia on 11.
But that didn’t mean that their famed defence took a back seat either, as the South Africans conceded just 10 tries, followed by New Zealand (15), Argentina (24) and Australia (28).
Rassie Erasmus’ team followed it up with four more touchdowns in their 32-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield – despite leaving out attacking forces such as Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Manie Libbok and Aphelele Fassi, all of whom may have a go at England on Saturday.
“There is obviously a lot of talent in the team, and for me as an attack coach, to be able to get a hold of that talent and – not so much a little bit of free licence – but be encouraged to try and change the way they play and look at the game, try and use the natural ability around their X-factor, their physicality and their size, to create an attacking game that can hopefully be the best in the world,” Brown said.
“I’ve only been here six months! So, Rassie’s asked me to see if we can improve our game on attack, and see if we can get some of our special athletes to get the ball in space and get them the opportunity to be great on a rugby field.
“For me, it’s been a great six months from an attack point of view. I think we’ve made a lot of progress. I think the players are really buying into what I’m selling, I suppose – or what I’m trying to drive.
“The biggest thing for me around attacking with the Springboks is that you’ve still got to attack the way that the Springboks play the game, which is really physicality, on top of the gain-line.
“I’m never ever going to come in and teach the Springboks to play like the All Blacks, for instance – I’m going to teach the Springboks to attack like Springboks.
“We are slightly understanding what that looks like, and 100 percent come this time next year, we’ve got to improve a massive amount as well.
“We’ve always got to keep evolving, and luckily for myself, Rassie has given me the opportunity to do that with the team.”
With the new laws discouraging defending teams from employing ‘blockers’ for their fullbacks or last receiver claiming high balls, the kicking game is another avenue for the Boks to come up with attacking opportunities.
Canan Moodie contested hard in the air at Murrayfield last Sunday, and those box-kicks could provide further openings against England.
“It’s been two weeks where they’ve used the new rule, and everyone’s trying to adapt to it. The guys who are finding it the hardest are the referees and touch judges, around consistency,” Brown said.
Thanks for the support Bok fans in Scotland! Next stop, London 🥰#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #SCOvRSA pic.twitter.com/oGCOIcnAYO
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 11, 2024
“Hopefully we get a bit more consistent idea around how they are going to rule it, so that we can adapt as coaches and players.
“It’s going to make the game a lot more dynamic in that area – teams who can win the ball in the air, or win the ball on the ground, it becomes a dynamic attack, for sure.
“It’s always tough with a short turnaround because you lose a training day, so the players need to adapt. That said, we are doing our best to ensure that they are fresh physically and mentally for the match.”
Bok team doctor Jerome Mampane also reported a clean bill of health yesterday from the Scotland Test, saying: “We came out of that one quite unscathed“.