The problem with a Springbok game against a tier two team is that every bit of praise dished out has to be accompanied by the caveat “but it’s only Portugal”.
You can only play what is in front of you though, and the Springboks did that really well in Bloemfontein. With seven new caps and several others at an embryonic stage of their international careers, they could easily have struggled much more than they did after losing André Esterhuizen early to a red card.
Going down to 14 men, yet retaining the composure and attacking ethic to the extent that they went well beyond the half century mark against a gallant Portugal team, took some doing. The ease with which they dealt with that curve ball after starting with 14 changes from the team that had started the previous match is an indication of how much the Boks’ depth has been grown in the last two years.
To refresh memories, the Boks also made that many changes for the second Test of the Wales series at the same venue in 2022. Some of the same players involved against Portugal played in that game, only now they’ve got more experience than they had then. And it showed. The Boks hardly skipped a beat when hit with the double whammy of conceding an early score and going down a man.
While the quality of the opposition defensive organisation could possibly be quibbled about, the most promising feature of the Bok win was the skill level that they showed off on attack.
It used to be said that the Boks couldn’t play a possession orientated attacking game where they went wide and relied on offloads because they didn’t have the players to do it. That is no longer true, and it isn’t just about the injection of Tony Brown into the group as attack coach either.
Yes, just like another Kiwi, John Mitchell, did during his short stint coaching the Bulls, there has been a noticeable uplift in the handling skills of some of the players. Man of the match RG Snyman was one of the big benefactors of Mitchell’s stint in Pretoria, and for a big man he has phenomenal skill, but he was not alone in Bloemfontein.
The Boks as a collective turned in a great exhibition of running and handling skills that was delightful to watch, while also not eschewing the traditional strengths such as the driving maul. That mix of games and the skill set shown isn’t just the product of Brown’s relatively short time with the Boks, but a reflection of the way the SA franchises are playing.
The local teams all employ ambitious attacking games that also don’t ignore the essence of the power game in the United Rugby Championship. It may not be a coincidence that the team that played in Bloemfontein was, in comparison to the side that played Ireland, very much a team of locally based players.
Those overseas based players who did get a run in Bloemfontein were players who are suited to a tempo based, offload game, namely scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and tighthead prop Thomas du Toit. The rest were locally based and would not have been taken out of their comfort zone by a style which is actually becoming the SA way.
Speaking of Reinach, his performance might have given coach Rassie Erasmus something to think about in terms of what his pace brings to the Boks’ attacking game. Reinach and starting flyhalf Manie Libbok set the tone for the Boks in the first half and were at the heart of much that went right for the Boks as they overcame their 14 to 15 disadvantage.
Of course, Libbok missed his kicks at post, which is a pity, for he provided some moments of real wizardry. So did the precociously talented Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu when he came on, and given Libbok’s continued failures from the kicking tee, it is reasonable to start wondering if the younger player might be about to usurp his more experienced franchise teammate in the battle to be Handré Pollard’s backup.
In saying that, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Feinberg-Mngomezulu has hardly played for the Stormers in the No 10 jersey to this point. Most of the games he has played for the Cape team have been at inside centre. He may need more flyhalf miles in him.
However, one thing that is clear about Feinberg-Mngomezulu is he has everything you’d want from a world class flyhalf. There have been comparisons between him and Damian Willemse, and in terms of presence and physicality, they are accurate comparisons. Yet Feinberg-Mngomezulu has kicking skills, and we’re not just talking about from the tee, that Willemse doesn’t have.
It is a question of “when” rather than “if” when it comes to Feinberg-Mngomezulu becoming the Bok front-line flyhalf, but in the meantime finding a way to accommodate both Libbok and Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the same team so that the latter’s placekicking boot is in the mix might be worth thinking about.
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